Snow Queen
by SilvermoonRoze
Summary: Zero didn't wish for it to happen. As everyday passed, the coldness was taking over his heart but could anyone lit up the fire to melt it away? Snow Queen, not another tragedy. KanamexZero, YuukixZero, IchiruxZero. Twisted romance .
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Usually, I will write a oneshot... This is supposed to be an attempt at a long shot. But I am sure, this will not last for more than eight chapters. I can't bear to write too long of a fic. But, I hope I will receive good reviews for this. Long fic, means , a lot of encouragement needs to be given... Or it will doom to meet no ending... **

**Disclaimer: I do not own VK. Just this plot.**

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><p><strong><em>SNOW QUEEN<em>**

by: SilverMoonRoze

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><p><em>I love you, nii-san. I love you so much<em>. Love. His love. It became his pain and his darkest secret, so pitch black and tainted. His feeling. They weren't crushable. His love had forced him to remain walking on earth, never to find a single dirt touching his body no matter how drained he was. He continued living, the miracle brought upon by his love.

He loved his nii-san so much that it hurted him. Everyday, everyday he thought of him, never once missed a moment to think of him. Yet, to be separated made him losing a piece of his nii-san whenever he thought of his beloved. He felt at lost and he wanted to hold on to them so clingingly to not forget and still, his sanity suffered day by day, on every mundane second of his life.

He wanted to keep his nii-san forever near him, do all the things his nii-san would give to another person he would love. No, he couldn't possibly allow that to happen! His nii-san, his nii-san would forever be his. _My nii-san..._ his thought echoed countless of times together with his beating heart, also complimenting his footwork that was draggy and had no elegance in it. This left leg of his was a sacrifice to be made for his nii-san.

He couldn't trap his brother with his current body but he had lied a booby trap for his approaching unsuspecting target. Vegetations hid his physical presence and he was not a vampire his nii-san would be able to sense. He aimed the gun to the target in wait and pulled the trigger. Without a bang, the bullet hits his nii-san's chest, who stumbled backwards before his knees gave out to fall into a kneeling position. The bullet would disappear- it wasn't meant to bleed a target but to dissolve and settled in the heart.

_Snow Queen,_ he smirked and let his self known to the fallen victim.

"You are-", nii-san growled to him, his eyes widened with anger. Such lovely eyes reflecting his own should remain lifeless.

_Nii-san, I love you,_ he grabbed the red tie hanging loosely around nii-san's beautiful neck, forcing onto him a spiteful kiss he would soon loathe Ichiru for.

Love worked in an unexplainable way and his version was a rotten one. Nii-san tried to put up a struggle but he had the power of a snow queen in his hand. His nii-san wouldn't be thinking about anyone else but Ichiru. Never will he ever forget a being who had planted the ice in his heart;Ichiru would make sure of it.

The struggle was loosing intensity and his nii-san moaned into the kiss, desperately tasting Ichiru's taste but Ichiru broke the kiss easily and steadfastly left his nii-san who seemed to be confused as to who he was kissing with. In the dark, Ichiru's whole being was masked. Not even his shadow was reflected onto the ground. His nii-san wouldn't remember even a tint of his scent because it had been a long time ago when they had been close to each other.

_Not yet, nii-san. This snow queen will wait for you in his ice palace._His nii-san would definitely search for him, his snow queen.

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><p>Something was wrong with Zero, Yuuki decided. He didn't look as if he was happy, not that he ever was. He wasn't even angry at the screaming fangirls earlier during the exchange. In fact, Yuuki was left to handle the situation alone while her colleguebrother stared longingly at the air or walls or at trees.

She wasn't the only one that noticed it. Even the screaming fangirls stopped cooing their idols as they were more fascinated with 'Kiryuu-kun suddenly looks so sexy with that empty face of his' kind of notion.

She had to admit, with that look, Zero could be ranked second next to Kaname. The prefect, a hunter not born a vampire, was beautiful in her opinion. However, she didn't live with beautifully alluring Zero! She lived with a prefect who had his tampon colored every hour! That was why she was worried why Zero was acting strange.

She decided that the mystery needed to be solved and it was an excuse enough for her to be sneaking into the boy's dorm secretly after the night had fallen. Just like a ninja, her footsteps were concealed by the emptiness of the corridor, their sound blended with the silence. She bit her lips when she stumbled upon various of horrific paintings and sculptures that were artistically admirable during the day. A painting that almost made her scream be known was of an Ice Princess, whose red eyes bored a hole onto her head accusingly. She breathed in to calm herself down. It was just a painting.

**Tap, tap, tap**. She heard footsteps heading towards her. Yuuki ran quickly down the stairs and flattened herself against the wall. When the sound disappeared; or more like it stopped, she peeked to see if there was anyone up there. There was a person, in which she squinted to see who, standing in front of the Ice Princess, his fingers tracing her outlines passionately.

"My queen", he whispered to himself. His fingernails elongated and he buried them into his skin. Yuuki could smell the blood, nauseous feeling threatening to take over. The thick musky smell rose her temperature. Her body felt hot like it demanded to get closer to the blood source.

"Z-Zero!" she shouted. Her voice snapped the person's from his trance.

"Yu-Yuuki?" Yuuki covered her mouth and climbed up the staircase.

"What are you doing? You're losing too much blood!" she exclaimed and using a free hand, she pulled the boy towards the chairman's office. They needed to get the bleeding to stop. Not all vampires had good restraint and the smell of blood would lead them here if it continued to spread.

She was lucky that the chairman left his office unlocked and even bothered to hang the safety kit in a place that was visible to eyes. Zero washed the wound and the girl dressed it with Iodine and bandage roll after the blood clotted.

"What's wrong with you today?" she took hold of Zero's injured hand, wrapping the bandage around it firmly.

"Was there something wrong with me?"

Yuuki's lips tightened. Should she answer him? If she did, what would his response be? Another denial perhaps. Yuuki felt that the topic must be let go. Zero was just exhausted, could be due to his thirst. She wasn't worried of getting bitten and because of she doted Zero since she first saw him, she never felt awkward being too close to him.

Speaking of thirst, she decided to ask Zero if he needed her blood to calm him.

"Zero, um, hey", she poked him, her eyes finding focus on other places but the prefect.

"Yes?"

"A-Are you.." she bit her lower lip,"Are you thirsty? I me-mean like do you want my blood?"

Zero's brows twitched. "No, I am fine".

Truth was, he hadn't been feeling thirsty after drinking Ichiru's blood. There was still the urge to suck the metallic tasting liquid but he was able to control the lust. At first he thought of scolding her for even asking but Yuuki was only concern. He thanked her for that.

"You don't have to worry about me. It's really nothing".

"If you say so".

"Alright, you may leave now. I can do the rest myself". Yuuki frowned at him but respected his request.

"Yeah, yeah", he watched her leaving the office with a pout.

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><p>Kaname twirled the pen with his fingers. He had just saw Yuuki returning to her room with a concern look on her face. He exploited that opportunity to study her every being; her hair, her eyes, her lips, everything was saved in his memory. Yuuki made his blood boiled everytime he saw her. To have such feelings for his own sibling, was that wrong?<p>

"Yuuki", he whispered her name quietly, sighing after doing so. Kaname slightly wondered if he'd be able to control himself the next time he met her privately. Yuuki meant a lot to him, more than a black diamond would. If he had too, he'd give up everything for her.

He just had to make sure Zero didn't have the upper hand first.

"Kaname-sama, your carpool has arrived", Seiren announced.

"I'll be there in a moment".

Seiren nodded and left to inform the driver. Kaname grabbed his coat, slipping his coat on and after making sure his necktie was in the right places, he strode out to the front porch. Seiren waited for him at the door, entering the white benz after Kaname. She had the schedule in her hand and throughout their journey to the Palace Hall Hotel, she read out his schedule, adding comments at certain events.

He received a warm welcome as soon as he stepped out from the vehicle.

"Welcome, Kuran-sama", the assistants bowed. Kaname passed them without a second glance; he had received such greetings countless of times to understand that it was proffesionalism on their side.

In the meeting room, all the subjects were already waiting for him. Kaname, as the leader of the meeting, beseated himself after the subjects gave him their respect bows. Tonight would be an important meeting for them. It wasn't just human representatives that were present; werewolf society, hunters and wizards were also there.

There were there for only one reason; the prophecy foretold by wizards.

In his letter sent to him, a crisis had been prophesized to happen.

"The wizardry representative may make the opening statement", Seiren announced once Kaname gave her a nod to start the meeting.

A wizard stood up, clearing his throat before reading his statement. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I, Jim Kennel, am here to represent my people. Just a week ago, our elders had been gathering during the full moon night to read the prophecy. It has come to our knowledge a crisis is approaching".

"Let us hear what the prophecy is about", Kaname said, looking almost bored.

"Please hear me out because this concern us all. This is what had been seen by our elders;  
>Two full moons later, the one feared most by the vampire ruler will rise again from the afterlife, melting away the ice of one most deeply slumbered and the snow queen would lie in her death bed, bathing in her own blood. One that is melted away will fall into darkness, thy would see in the blind eyes smeared with swollen sadness, anger and desperation. Should they merged ,the one feared by the vampire ruler and the slave of the snow queen, our land would turn into an arid one no one had ever seen. For this blood should never be awaken because it isn't the truth".<p>

"Please do elaborate", Kaname seemed to be puzzled by the reading himself. It had been a while since he tried to interpret prophecy.

"Kuran-sama, what it means here is, some power will awaken to destroy us. This power seems to be in a deep sleep and only to be awaken after the death of a snow queen".

"Snow queen is only a fairy tale to little children", one of the board members scoffed.

"That is true but in Wizardry community, Snow Queen is a spell use to bind a person's heart to the caster. This caster is known as the snow queen. Even though we know it as a spell, we don't have much knowledge about it", the wizard admitted regrettably.

"Then, how can you say for sure that it is a spell?" the one that scoffed questioned.

"Well, I'm sure that this is one of the spell registered only for the hunter's knowledge", the wizard looked at the hunter's representative with the corner of his eyes.

"I hate to admit it but he is quite right. We do have such spell registered in our database. However, we do not have the full information of it".

"Is it something that is lost?" asked the wizard.

"No, unlike wizard, we do not file every spells known to hunters in a guide for everyone. In fact, I believe that this spell is actually a family secret. Though I am not very sure for now, I could ask my assistant to find out more about it".

"How long will it take you to uncover about the spell?" Kaname asked.

"It depends but I will give you the result as soon as possible".

"That is good enough. And I am sure that is not our only concern. Let's say that snow queen has been successfully casted, we have two other people to be found. First, the one the vampire ruler fear the most and second, the one that would be melted away by the most fearful one".

"This fearful one must be the one you are fearing, Kuran-sama. You are the elligible vampire ruler chosen by all. And about the other one, we won't know until it happen", the wizard explained.

"But the one I feared has turned into dust".

"Even so, he will come back. This is something we must weigh heavily, Kuran-sama. We do not live in a world without the possibility of continuous living".  
>Continuous wondered where it would end.<p>

"If this theory is true, then we will see Rido in the near future. For that, I fear another war call would be given out again like last time", Kaname sighed gently.

"This time, we will be with you, Kuran -sama", the board members sworn together.

But that isn't exactly what I am fearing off. It's Yuuki. It has to be Yuuki again this time around.

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><p><strong>"Turn around, Zero-chan", he heard the voice calling to him. Zero looked at his small hands and her large palms. His were fitting with hers perfectly. The young child giggled at the funny face she was making. <strong>

**Then, a heaving sound made him turn around. There was another child lying silently, chest rising up and down frantically. Zero crawled towards him, holding his hand that were about the same size as his own to calm him down. Zero felt that he doted this child, maybe as much as how this child doted him. **

**Zero gurgled nonsense to let him know he would always be by his side. Yet, his promise was broken when he was taken away from the child. **

**Zero cried. She who had taken him calmed him down with a pat on his back but he didn't stop crying. **

**"Zero-chan, it will not be long. You will see him again when he recovered".**

**UWAHH! he cried louder. **

**"Honey, can't we bring Ichiru along?" she asked the man who walking in front of them.**

**"I'm sorry. We can't. You know they are not the same. Never to be one yet of the same faces". **

**"But.."**

**"He will quiet down once he's tired". **

**They sat silently all the way to a place he was unfamiliar with, not even a whine escaping his mouth at the stern look the man was giving him.**

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><p>Zero placed a hand on his stomach. That dream... it was so vivid that he thought it was a memory rather than a dream. Not planning to stay in bed any longer, he went to prepare himself for the day. The wound was already healing- there was nothing too serious for him to worry about.<p>

Zero couldn't recall how he had had inflicted the injury. He was in the bedroom, trying to sleep for once when he saw a white flash. The next thing he knew, there was Yuuki worrying over him and his hand was already in a bad shape. It had felt very short for him but Zero knew he had missed some things in between.

_I'll let this one slip_, he thought, carrying his notebook towards the lecture hall. He sat behind the female prefect who was wrapping a box neatly. Yori nudged her shoulder to inform her of Zero's presence and she quickly hid the box in her bag.

"Ah, Zero! Good morning!" Yuuki faked a laugh. Zero huffed at the terrible act she was putting on show.

"What did you have on your table a moment ago?"

"Um", come on brain, she tried to think up for an excuse, "well, it's a gift. For... for Kaname-sempai".

In the end, she had told him the truth. Zero's eyebrows twitched and he felt a pang of jealousy that the girl he liked was giving away a gift to a monster he hated.

"What's the occasion?"

"Well, what do you think? It's February the 14th today".

February the 14th? Zero looked at the calendar on his watch. He remembered the date to be a week before Valentine. Zero's frown deepened. What was going on? Why was the time flying so fast without him registering the change of days at all.

"Are you sure you got the date right?"

"What are you trying to imply? Of course, I am sure. Plus, you promised to bring me to ice skating rink today, remember?" Yuuki asked back. From the way she was looking at him, Zero knew she was questioning his sanity.

"Zero, are you sure you are alright?" she asked.

_Yes, I'm alright_. But he couldn't answer her. She suddenly was erased by a white flash blinding his eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: So, is this even worth continuing? Well, I can't tell how fast I can update this but I'll try my best. Ok, see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews. Um, this is the continuation- I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

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><p><strong><em>SNOW QUEEN<em>**

by: SilverMoonRoze

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><p>"Zero, are you sure you are alright?" she asked but the male prefect ignored her. Assuming that the conversation was over, Yuuki took out the box and added a final touch to the gift. Neither two prefects were paying attention to the lecture and she could always borrow Yori's book to take down note. Zero didn't even have to try to score, something that Yuuki wished she could.<p>

When the class was over, she reminded Zero of the date he promised, to which he answered her with a nod. His face was blank but she didn't ask. Zero would never tell her anything concerning him and she would find out anyway if he was in trouble or sick.

At two, they met up at the front gate. They were both in their best cloth- it was a date after all. She reached for his hand and they walked together to the ice rink.

She tried asking a few questions to start a conversation but Zero's response was only head shakes or nods. It was irritating but she wasn't going to spoil their date.

Still, he's a bad date! Her hands were itching to strangle him on the spot.

At the ice rink, they didn't do anything much. They put on the ice skating shoes, made a round on the ice rink and when she suggested about skating to the music, he rejected her idea with a sharp no.

"Then, why are we here in the first place?" she sulked angrily. Zero didn't reply her but instead staring at his own reflection on the ice.  
>"You know what? I think I'll leave you here".<p>

Zero nodded which added fuel to her anger.

"Alright! Suit yourself!" She skated to the watching arena and replaced the shoes with her own. Zero was too much! He was the one agreeing to go with her to the ice rink and yet, he was the one to kill the fun. She returned the shoes and exited the building. Zero would pay all the expenses since she had put the cost in his account.

"It's only fair". She huffed, heading for the academy with a slight dejected feeling.

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><p>Slowly, he was regaining his vision. Everything was starting to become clearer and clearer until he saw his own reflection. Zero blinked and tried to take a clumsy step on the slippery surface and he slipped, only to land on his back.<p>

He whined at the pain. "Where am I?"

"You're at the ice rink". Zero tilted his head up and he couldn't believe his eyes. There, standing behind him was his own reflection; his own brother, Ichiru.

"I-Ichiru, I-I thought", he stuttered.

How could Ichiru be alive when he had killed him?

"Nii-san, I thought you'd never remember me again", Ichiru smiled, "since you have her".

"What are you talking about, Ichiru?"

"About that girl who just left. You seem to be having fun with her, nii-san. Yuuki must be a great date".

"Yuuki was here?"

Ichiru laughed. "Of course she was here! She just left!"

The date. The ice rink. Those are the things that Yuuki had told him about. He was at the ice rink because he promised her a date. It made sense to him but why didn't he remember anything in between then and now? Zero took a glimpse of Ichiru.

He was smiling widely like he had expected him to be here. Ichiru was acting like he knew Zero would be at the ice rink.  
>He had a nagging feeling that Ichiru knew of his condition. He should probably let him know to see if he could help Zero.<p>

Then, it came to him. Why would Ichiru be alive after he had been killed with Zero's own hands? Could it be that this was a mere dream?

If, if he were to talk to this dream Ichiru, would he feel better?

"Ichiru, I- Something's wrong with me. You're being here is a shock for me but that's not it. It bothers me a lot. Will you listen to what I'm going to say?" he asked pleadingly.

"What is it, nii-san?"

"My memory is being tampered. I can't even tell if you are an illusion or real. I can't even remember how I got here. My god, what the heck am I talking about?" the prefect hit his knuckle onto the ice.

"I might be your dream, nii-san". It was hurtful to hear his own nii-san doubting his existence but he cracked a smile for his nii-san.

"No, I don't mean to say it that way".

"It's alright. Don't push yourself too much".

"Then, it should be okay if I leave", Zero gathered himself up and skated to the side. Just when he was about to leave the ice surface, his feet was locked to the ice. Zero tried to pull away. His effort to release himself was doomed when he was pulled back to his brother like a magnet attracting metal.

"Nii-san, nii-san, nii-san", Ichiru clicked his tongue, "do you really think I would just let you go like that?"

"Ichiru, let go!" Zero growled at the said brother. He couldn't see Ichiru with him backing at the other.

"I know what you are going through, nii-san. And I know the reason you are having lapse in your memory".

"What are you tal-" Ichiru tugged his hair harshly.

"You should be happy that you see me here alive, nii-san but what did you think of me? Am I real or am I just a part of your delusional world? Ha! A great question for a grand reunion".

Ichiru traced the tattoo with his finger. His brother's neck was pretty and delicate. To think that all vampires got themselves a swollen belly full of blood through a delicate neck such as this fanned his envy to vampires. It would be convenient if he was the one turned. Then he could be one in a system with nii-san.

Ichiru buried his face on Zero's shoulder line. "Don't I matter to you at all?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about us!" He was talking about all the promises that were left to rotten in the pile of unfulfilled promises.

"Ichiru, you were dead".

"I was almost dead. But you made it possible for me to live on".

"I don't understand, Ichiru".

Ichiru bit his lower lips until the skin broke. How could he not understand? Didn't they have similar feelings? Did he not love Ichiru at all?

Was Ichiru that easily forgotten? _Nii-san, you are too much._

"You are not to be forgiven", the younger brother hissed angrily, "**slave**".

Zero wanted to stop this delusional dream he was possibly having but then, he could only heard a commanding voice calling out to something inside him. He wanted to go against it and yet, when Ichiru's arms encircled his waist, he couldn't even utter a nonsensical syllable. He felt incapacitated- as if he hasn't had a body to begin with. Even so, his mind was recording everything this time, forgetting nothing at all. Maybe this was because his brother's replica will him to remember. He felt a hand enclosed itself to his crotch, rubbing against it passionately.

"Nii-san, today, I will make you remember me. Only me. I love you, nii-san. Not platonic but more than that. Let me see you break until you can no longer cry to betrayal or sadness or shit like that".

_Ichiru, why?_

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><p>Yuuki puffed her cheeks. How could Zero! she thought. Why was he spoiling the fun they could have had a good time? Her handbag swung in a rythmic motion to her walking pace as she climbed the staircase.<p>

She was halfway up when she stopped, tears dripping down her cheeks. Her effort to make today special for both of them was completely wasted. She just wanted to see him smile, forgetting all the painful memories even if it was for a short while.

"Z-Zero you big idiot!" she sobbed. Without thinking, she turned around to go to him who was probably sitting at the watchers area, sleeping his ass off happily, eventhough she was almost arriving at the academy's gate unhappily.

She went back even though Zero was being an ass. She went back because she loves him more than he thought.

The ice rink had already closed, the door was already locked. She tried knocking and calling for assistant but nobody was answering. Giving up, she thought of heading back to the academy. She was walking by an alley when she heard a familiar voice sobbing.

Yuuki halted and looked at the dark grimy alley. After taking a good look, she could make up a figure lying on the dirty walkway, curling like a ball. The female prefect walked towards the person, trying not to breath in the bad smell around her.

Then, she saw him, griping his clothes closely while lying with nothing on.

"Ze-Zero?"

Zero tensed when she called out to him. He didn't want to be seen like this. He must look pathetic to her now that she had seen him humiliated.  
>"Go back, Yuuki. I don't need you pity", he said in a hoarse voice, followed by coughing.<p>

Yuuki stood still, her head lowered. She couldn't see him like this, mellowing himself in self pity! She- She wanted him to be as strong as he had always been. His life depended on his mentality and looking at him now, Yuuki saw how vulnerable he truly was.

"No, I won't leave you like this! I will help you no matter how much you want to drive me away! That's why- That's why, you will drink my blood and heal. I want to help you forget!"

"Yuuki, this is not fun and game".

"That's what it is then!" she rummaged her handbag and found a needle. "I want you to listen to me this time, Zero", she tore her skin apart with the sharp point, stabbing the skin a few times until more blood came flowing forth.

"Drink, Zero". She hugged him. Zero senses were flooded by the scent that his vampire instinct reacted to it vigorously. He tried to keep himself from taking her blood but she pulled him closer. The scent awakened the beast that his fangs penetrated the skin to suck the blood into his mouth.  
>She moaned at the pain but relaxed when Zero started feeding. Zero was always so gentle, carefully not to hurt anyone even when he was drinking human blood. Once he was full, he let her go, looking at her with a thankful expression.<p>

"See, it isn't that big of a deal!" she said but when she tried to stand, she fell back onto a kneeling position.

"Oh, I can't stand", she chuckled.

"Well, if you can scoot a little over there, I would be please".

"Why?"

"I need to put my cloth on".

Oh, yeah. Zero was naked.

"Alright, then. I will not look at your beautiful body and give you privacy to cover them", she scooted away and turned around.

"Whatever, Yuuki".

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><p>The night had fallen again like any other day. He could see the constellation from his window. The crescent moon was the chaperon to the stars, watching over each of the blinking spots with its own glimmering light. Kaname adjusted his fingers around the thin holder of the wine glass, shaking it a little to balance the red colour of the liquid before sipping it.<p>

He felt like he wanted to immerse himself with the nightime, admiring its beauty at a time when he wanted to be rested. That was of course a wishful thinking when Seiren entered his study.

"I've brought the result of the investigation", Seiren said monotonously.

"Well?"

Seiren bowed her head down. "H. A president has confirmed that this spell belong to the Kiryuu family, Kaname-sama".

Kaname put down the glass. This had somewhat took an unexpected turnabout. Kiryuu was now becoming a possible war causal and he judged the possibility of him being a danger to Yuuki. Kiryuu was after all in the same class with her. He could make her his target anytime and Kaname could be a little too late to prevent it.

"Then, Kiryuu can be seen as a danger. I need to see the headmaster. Arrange a meeting with Cross-san".

"That will be done, Kaname-sama".

And Seiren left the room without a single creak.

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><p><strong>AN: Seems like Kaname is going to have rivals O.O But the way I look at it, I smell something innocently innocent coming up... Thanks for reading and it would be kind of you to drop a review after reading. I like to read how people think of this story so that I know what to write next. Somehow, I gain inspiration from bubbly joy feeling. XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I was doing this while entertaining my kitty with my other hand... XC She's begging for attention and I am having a hard time typing with Kitty-chan jumping on the keyboard to attack my fingers... Anyway, this is the continuation... and I think this is going to take more than eight chaps... Oh, before that, thank you so much for the reviews. I enjoy reading all your thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own VK. Just the plot.**

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><p><strong><em>SNOW QUEEN<em>**

by: SilverMoonRoze

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><p>12.32 am in the morning and she was still stuck patrolling around the academy ground. Yuuki rubbed her eyes sleepily, yawning as she walked behind Zero who was kicking the ground absently. She just wanted to go to bed given that she had to wake up early for class.<p>

There was also homework to finish. Academically, she was a bit slow but she was trying her best to equalized both her studies and duties.

"Well, you can go back to your dorm. You look tired", Zero commented on her wearied expression. He couldn't stop feeling regret for biting Yuuki despite her being a willing donor. The bandage on her neck was a reminder to the event he wanted to forget the most.

"Don't you need me?" Yuuki asked.

"I can handle this one. Go back to your dorm".

"Alright, captain", she made a sarcastic remark and sauntered to the Sun Dormitory. She thought of asking him to lend her his homework since she wouldn't be able to finish it in the morning before class but when she was about to ask him Zero was already gone from the spot he was standing a minute ago.  
>Mathematics was her weakest subject and Calculus was hell. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a compulsory subject, she would never sign up for Calculus ever.<p>

That one proffessor was going to give her a lecture after class for sure and she would be late for her duty again. It was funny how often a prefect would get herself a detention after class.

"Right, I hope that I can survive tomorrow", she sighed.

"Survive for what, Yuuki?"

Yuuki whipped her head to her crush who had overheard her complaining. Her cheeks were red and she hoped Kaname-sempai wouldn't be able to see her embarassment in the dark.

"Senpai, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, I'm meeting up with headmaster Cross", Kaname replied. It had been two days since he found out about the spell. Though he had to hurry up, he could always spare a few minutes talking to Yuuki.

"Nothing, I was just talking about Calculus. I think I am going to fail it".

"I could help", Kaname offered sincerely.

"No, I don't want to trouble you but to be honest, I need a tutor but I'd prefer if someone else would help me with Calculus". She didn't think she'd be able to concentrate if Kaname-senpai was the one tutoring.

Kaname patted her head gently. "I'll ask Hanabusa to teach you then".

"It's alright, senpai", she mumbled.

Kaname found his focus fixated on the bandage on her neck. He touched the rough surface of the bandage, at the same time contemplating over hos she had gotten herself hurt.

"Yuuki, what is this bandage for?"

"Uh, it's nothing really. I accidentally scratched myself", Yuuki lied, rubbing her neck and looked away as she couldn't look in his eyes.

"Would you mind if I take it off and see if I could do anything to heal it?"

Yuuki wanted to decline the offer but Kaname took the opportunity of her pausal to peel the band from her neck. He froze when he saw the bite mark underneath the bandage cover. Yuuki couldn't see his darkening eyes clearly but Kaname's tensed shoulder should've given his thought away if Yuuki had been able to read the atmosphere at all. Sadly enough, she was oblivious and decided to make up an excuse instead.

"It-It's just a mosquito bite. You don't have to get work up over it".

"Is that so?" Kaname faked a smile, "Then, I think I should let you head back to take your rest".

"Um, then, goodnight, Kaname-sempai".

"Goodnight, Yuuki".

Yuuki was about to leave but she remembered about the gift she had forgotten to give to Kaname. She took the gift out from her pocket and hid it in her palm. Feeling a little nervous, she turned around to give him the gift.

"And Kaname-senpai is nowhere in sight. Way to go, Yuuki", she commented on the empty spot where Kaname-senpai was. _What's with them and disappearing act? They are not Chris Angel but at this rate, they would definitely put him to shame. Geez._

Yuuki tried not to imagine Chris Angel crying tears of blood at the same time losing his job.

"Better get some sleep. It's getting late", she whispered softly, putting Chris Angel in the back of her mind.

* * *

><p>Kaname wasn't a forgiving creature. Anyone who dared to lay a hand on his Yuuki would pay. His navigating senses were heightened to search for a particular male prefect whom he suspected to be the only one capable of drinking blood from Yuuki like that. His knuckles were itching to punch the light out of the next being he found and how fortunate for him to spot his target standing uncaringly underneath a tree with the littlest leaves on its branches.<p>

The pureblood didn't wait to go for the kill. The next thing he knew, he was already pinning a shocked Zero to a tree with his hands ready to strangle Zero.  
>"What the heck, Kuran!" Zero lashed angrily at the ambush.<p>

Kaname's pupil diluted in milisecond, pressing Zero with force, digging deeper into the tree trunk. "You have the nerve, Kiryuu", he hissed at the said prefect.

"What are you talking about?"

"Take a guess. If you're right, I'll send you to the purgatory right away".

"Let me go!" Zero tried to reach for his bloody rose. His respiration was blocked from functioning at all and he needed air if he wanted to see another day.

"Wrong", Kaname's grip around Zero's neck tightened. He was tempted to just crush the said neck for his unforgivable act.

"I don't understand!" Zero kneed Kaname harshly, causing the other to double over. Zero gasped for air, his throat burning with each intake. Before he could properly recovered, Kaname was suddenly strandling him, the pureblood's sharp claws were extended.

"I was talking about this", the pureblood dug his claws into Zero's upper arm and tore the flesh, ignoring the painful scream let out by the ex-human. He licked the blood layering his skin, his eyes changing colours due to the strong blood scent.

"You taste of her", Kaname made his remark coldly. The temperature around them dropped by a few fahrenheit.

"This is about me feeding from Yuuki, isn't it?" Zero used his better hand to push Kaname away. He was up on his feet in an instant, Bloody Rose fully loaded was aimed at the pureblood.

"Then, you must know what's coming in your way".

"Do you think I'd just run away? I'm not a frigging pussy".

Kaname grabbed Zero's collar and propelled him to the ground. Despite the pain jolting in his arm, Zero pulled the trigger at Kaname.

A loud bang echoed throughout the forest.

* * *

><p>How long had it been since any of the night class members had seen Kaname? Though it wasn't outspoken, they missed his presence and wanted to know if he was doing alright. They were being silly, they knew that much because Kaname was the lord of all vampires. He could take care of himself but they also knew Kaname tend to overwork himself.<p>

When he wasn't attending classes, the problem aroused must have be a serious one.

Aidou closed the book after marking the page he had been reading. He couldn't absorb a single word from his reading- when it got to this, he'd rather discuss the things he had in mind than forcing himself to understand unregistered facts and figures.

The rest of his friends turned away from what they were doing. They were also feeling the same way as Aidou.

"Something's up. I can feel it in my bone", Aidou placed the book on top of his research papers.

"I would like it that you stay put, Aidou". Kain could almost see his mind working up his gear for a plan with null success rate. However, Kain would like to know what was forcing Kaname to stop coming to class but not with Hanabusa's plan.

"Aren't you curious, Akatsuki?" Aidou threw him a pleading look.

What's with that puppy eyes? "Everyone here is curious but we will respect him by staying out of trouble".

"Kain is right, Aidou", Takuma interrupted.

"But don't you think that we might be able to help him? He can't be doing everything alone, right?"

"What's your point, Hanabusa?" Ruka grumbled.

"My point is, we should find out about this business of his, confront him and tell him we would like to help too".

"I'll vote for staying out of trouble", Shiki raised his hand, agreeing to Kain's opinion on the matter.

"Count me second", Rima mimicked Shiki.

BANG! A gunshot made the vampires jumped from their seat. Instinctively, the group moved towards the source of the sound. As they got closer, they could smell blood- a delicious scented blood with a tint of rose mixed in between. Worrying that Kaname could be injured, they hastened their paces and when Zero and Kaname entered their line of sight, they heaved a sigh to know that it wasn't Kaname who was injured. Zero on the other hand was clutching the cloth around his ripped flesh on the arm that was holding the gun that was pointed at Kaname.

Not long after their arrival, the headmaster and Touga showed up at the scene as well, Touga looking as displeased as ever.

"What's going on here?" Cross asked, surveying the characters who were exchanging hated glares with each other.

"Stupid bloodsucker here's the one to start it first", Zero tried to keep his gun pointing exactly at Kaname's forehead.

Kaname was suddenly appearing in front of him, grabbing his collar and lifting Zero above the ground.

"You are the one who crossed the line. I would like it that you admit that and apologize".

"I did not do it because I want to!" Zero spat on Kaname's face. His face wrinkled at the pain stinging his arm.

"You know the consequences and yet you went ahead with it", the pureblood vampire wiped the spit with his sleeves. Kaname felt the tip of another vampire weapon pressing against the back of his head and tensed. Murderous intent was vibrating from the said weapon, unlike Zero's bloody rose that gave out protection intent.

"I would like it that you put him down and we'll discuss this in Cross' office", Yagari spoke with cigarette in between his lips. Kaname loosened his grab and Zero fell onto his back unceremoniously. The other vampires were glaring at Zero for his rudeness to their leader but didn't make a move to hurt him.

"To my office", Cross said sternly. The two young students stayed as far as possible from each other as they followed the headmaster. Takuma sent an apologetic smile to the others and followed Yagari closely. Kain ushered the others to return to Moon dorm.

"But I want to know what happened!" Aidou whined childishly.

"Takuma will fill us in afterwards. Let's go", Kain said, walking behind them with his hands in his pockets. The other vampires made disappointed looks but they would find out about it later on.

Whether it was a serious matter or not, it wasn't for them to worry about just yet.

* * *

><p>Rivalry in between Kaname and Zero was not a secret to anyone. Neither of them should share a vicinity without a third party presence. If not, they would be at each other's throat until one of them was probably killed. Still, there was no other candidate more dependable like Zero to keep the vampires at their best behaviour and Kaname was an irreplacable figure in making sure Cross' goal of co-existence coming true.<p>

There was no stopping it. No matter how they tried to keep away from each other, there would always be a reason why they would cross path.

The headmaster wanted to know the reason they were using violence but he waited for one of them to give him the explanation he needed. Zero's injury had been treated and dressed properly to avoid infection. Luckily Kaname's claws weren't cutting too deep into the flesh or it would take longer time for Zero to heal.

Kaname was the one to burst the silence's bubble floating in the room. "I will explain", he said calmly.

"Please do so. Make a sugar coated excuse to cover up your ass", Touga interrupted. His dislike to the pureblood was nowhere concealed in his voice.

"I will not sugar coat anything. In fact, this fight started because of Zero's serious offence", Kaname deadpanned.

"And what might this serious offence be?" Touga tapped his finger.

"Touga, please let him talk", Cross glared at the said hunter warningly.

"He has attacked Yuuki, drinking her blood to satisfy his thirst".

"It isn't an attack!" Zero cried out angrily, " I didn't do it purposely".

"Oh, I'm sure that's a lie on your part, Kiryuu".

"I'm sure you have ears to hear. I said I didn't do it for my own selfishness!"

"I find that hard to believe", Kaname stood up, white anger flashed in his eyes.

"Kaname, calm down and we should probably listen to his part of story", Takuma placed a hand on Kaname's shoulder. Kaname relaxed a bit and returned to sitting. Takuma gave a reassuring smile to Cross to continue the discussion.

"Zero", this time, the headmaster directed his question to the young hunter," did you bite Yuuki as informed by Kaname?"

Zero nodded and he looked away.

"Why did you bite her?" Cross asked.

"That", Zero swallowed as he remembered the unforgettable meeting of him and Ichiru. If he as much as answer them, a new story would open up. For them, Ichiru was dead. There was no way they would believe him. They would brush it off as a lie.

They won't accept it. Victory for the pureblood it is then.

"T-This conversation is over", Zero stammered as he started to have flashbacks of the ice rink incident.

"Zero, I decide whether this is over or not", Cross said, crossing his arms with a stern look.

_I can't say it. I just can't._ "It's my fault. Blame me. I don't care"._ But don't make me say it._

He felt the stares on him. Within a heartbeat, Zero reached for the door but it won't open. Kaname had put up a barrier to let no one leave the room until they reached a conclusion to the problem at hand.

"Are you trying to run away, little shit? I sure as hell did not teach you that", Touga too was growing suspicious of his apprentice.

"It-It's not that", _Make up a lie_, "I attacked her first. It's my fault. I'm a threat. Just let me leave right now".

Zero felt his stomach churned. The memory was replaying again and again in his head so suddenly- it was almost as if he was watching a movie screening. Except there was no pop corn, only a slight burn on the invisible scar.

He squatted down, holding both sides of his head, throwing up on the office carpet.

"I did it! Get that already!" _Get it out of my head!_

Takuma and Cross rushed over to Zero's side. Takuma helped Zero to stand up, volunteering to take Zero to the infirmary. "I'm sure there's a lot more you want to discuss with Kaname-sama. I'll make sure Kiryuu-san gets enough rest tonight".

"Thank you, Ichijou-kun".

"You don't have to thank me".

Takuma helped Zero to walk. When the door was closed, Cross sat himself in his swivelling chair. Yagari shut his eyes as well as his mouth, not wanting to communicate with Kaname at all.

"Let's talk about the reason you have sent Seiren to arrange a meeting with me", Cross shifted the subject.

"It's regarding the Kiryuu's family".

Touga's corner of his lips curled downwards. Here he thought the discussion about Zero was already over.

"This better be worth listening too, pureblood", he said threateningly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Stay tune for the next chap... I'm cooking something in my pot and still cutting in the ingredient. I'm sure you want to see how love will blossom in between them. Would it be romantic or dramatic? For now, Kaname is STILL in hate mode as well as Zero but we will definitely get to that point where it will all begin! Bear with me because this whole chaps are very, very important for later development. XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is a filler chapter, just so y'know. And Zero and Takuma's interaction is strictly friendship. Also, sorry for updating a bit late... I had a joyful vacation at the theme park hotel a few days ago. I missed my internet. XC. Alright, get on with it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own VK. Just the plot.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>SNOW QUEEN<em>**

by: SilverMoonRoze

* * *

><p>At night, anyone would have a bad vibe when walking in the hallway of the empty building, especially with a few windows opened, airing the hallway, teasing people's sense of smell with it's blooming bushes. It was already Springtime, the season where nature flourishes. It was also around this time when small musicians sang what should have been thought as beautiful music.<p>

It was beautiful; there was no doubt about it. There was still a tinge of loneliness in each pattern and people's mind emphasized on it, tricking them into thinking it as scary instead of captivating.

Takuma was one to enjoy night-time orchestra such as this. He found the rhythm sweet and gentle to the ears. He would enjoy reading his manga with just the brightness of the street lamp light, if he didn't have an urgent task to complete. Right now, Zero was clinging on his arms for support, staggering on every steps to the infirmary. The hunter's chest was contracting quickly; redness was spreading on his face up to his ears.

"Here we are", Takuma said, tapping on the door three times lightly. Unlike human, a vampire doctor had the capability to detect any aerial sound.

"Come in". Takuma opened the door and helped the hunter to the bed. Zero laid sideways, facing away from Takuma and the doctor.

"Is he having a fever?" the doctor questioned, clicking his writing utensil in between his fingers.

"He threw up but I am not sure if he's running a fever", Takuma answered, looking worried himself. _And I believe it's your job to tell me what's wrong with Kiryuu-san._

The doctor left his seat to check up on his patient. From his lab pocket, the said doctor took out a thermometer and pulled down Zero's pants and his boxer. Zero, realising that his pants were taken off, tilted his head, giving a warning glare at the offender.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zero growled.

"I'm sure you know".

"No, I don't!"

"Well, if you have to know, I'll tell you. I took off your pants".

"That's not what I meant!"

The doctor found Zero's reaction quite amusing. Most of his patients didn't react as boorish as the hunter. He didn't even have to ask permission to carry on with his treatment procedure except for Aidou who asked every steps out of curiosity. He was unsure how to handle a patient like Zero but he'd have to give a shot. In his opinion, the said patient didn't look fine and dandy. Well, this is going to be a little bit difficult.

"You would have to trust me, sir", he said.

"Return my lower garments!" If they continued to bicker, he would never get to treat the patient. The doctor hinted Takuma to coax Zero into cooperating with him with a pointy mouth.

"Now, now, Kiryuu-kun, Doctor-san just want to make you better. We should let him take your temperature reading", Takuma cooed. The hunter, a little affected by the tone he was using, buried his face in the mattress.

Mr. Doctor put on his glove, tugging on its edge to make sure the gloves were in place. He probed the thermometer into Zero's rectum, waiting for a minute before pulling it out again. He took the reading on a piece of paper and returned to check Zero's tongue and mouth.

"He has fever but it isn't serious. He just needs a proper rest".

"Does he need any medication?"

"I'll prescribe paracetamol. For now, use the infirmary. I'm about to leave when you walked in".

"Thank you, doctor", Takuma shook hand with the doctor. He was going to remind Zero the doctor's advice but the teenager was already sleeping on his own. Takuma smiled and pulled the blanket to keep the hunter warm. He picked up the pants on the floor.

"Now where should I hang the trousers?"

He realised the one thing the infirmary was lacking; a locker.

"Well, I guess I'll just put it on the doctor's chair", he hung the pants on the arm rest. Takuma chose to stand by the window, looking through it to see the forest. His attention shifted when he heard a soft whimper from the hunter. The said blond went over to check on him. He was apalled to see Zero shivering even with a blanket on.

"Cuh Ca Cold", the said prefect stammered.

Takuma switched off the fan but Zero didn't stop shivering. This made the blond vampire worry.

"Kiryuu-kun, wake up", he shook the hunter's shoulder lightly. At first, Zero refused to open up his eyes. Takuma, being a caring person by nature, rubbed Zero's back. The hunter felt his honesty; he was desperate to look at someone to erase the coldness throbbing in his chest. Zero was confused. It was as if each frames of his movement was sharply divided, making the scene jumpy from an episode to another. One moment, he could only remember the incident with Ichiru, then, he felt feverish and the next thing he knew, he was feeling cold in his chest.

The coldness was spreading from his heart to his skin. Zero wanted nothing else but something warm to keep himself together. If the coldness spread any further, he was afraid he'd be frozen forever.

"Ichijou-san, I am cold", Zero whispered, grasping his shirt tightly. Too cold. There was no warmth left in his body.

"I'll get you an extra blanket. Stay put", Takuma opened the cabinet and took a blanket from the pile. He spread it out and amassed it on the hunter. Zero stared openly at the blond vampire, reaching the vampire's hand.

"I-I am cold. I nnneeed w-warmth", the hunter pleaded. Zero wasn't lying; his skin radiated coldness and under the fluorescent light, his face was starting to become paler. Takuma added the number of blanket layers onto the hunter but nothing changed. If a pile of blanket couldn't warm up Zero, nothing else could.

"P-Please I-I-Ichijou-sempai", the hunter rubbed his arms to heat up his body.

Ichijou sighed. There was no helping it. He could only think of one way to warm a cold body. Taking off his clothes and dropping them to the floor, Takuma walked over to Zero.

"Just this once", he pulled the hunter close to him. He wasn't sure if it would work but Vampires were known for their body heat. He could feel the hunter tensed a little in his hug. He was feeling discomfort too. However, he was glad that Zero stopped shivering. At least, he didn't have to worry about the hunter dying of an unexplainable cause.

Just about when the awkward feeling was lessening, the door was suddenly opened.

At the door were Kaname, Yagari and Kaien. Different emotions flashed on their faces, making Takuma fearing the consequences. Takuma didn't think his explanation would be easily accepted. Anyone would think he was trying to take advantage on Kiryuu-kun. He wondered if he would be able to make it out alive.

He sighed heavily, preparing to correct the wrong.

* * *

><p><em>What a nutcase!<em> was the first thing that crossed Yagari's mind when the vampire got on with labelling his student a dangerous threat to the world. If he was going to point finger and blamed an orphan for everything that he'd fallen victim for, then Yagari wished the conversation to end.

Cross too wasn't sinking well with the idea of Zero as a threat. He was only a teenager even though he was more dependable than other hunters around his age group.

However, Kaname made his point clearly. After explaining Zero's action he perceived unacceptable, his worry was enough to convince Cross that they had to make sure similar occassion wouldn't happen again. He also explained the prophecy predicted and how Zero could be involved in the agenda. After all, this involved Yuuki and the world and Cross wanted to protect his daughter as much as he wanted to protect his son.

Yagari didn't accept it fully but his thought on this matter was out of question. Right now, they needed him to view it from a neutral viewpoint to reach the right conclusion. Kaname insisted on changing Zero's status to a vampire. To him, if Zero moved to Moon Dormitory, it would be easier for him to supervise the ex-human.

Yagari had another idea. Instead of declaring Zero as a vampire, he'd rather have a supervisor from the night class to watch over Zero in Sun dormitory. He absolutely wouldn't hand Zero easily to the vampires.

A hunter would always be a hunter, even if he was turned.

"Why don't you pick a representative from your kind to be your dog?"

"I never treat anyone like a dog".

"Oh yeah? They certainly act like one".

"I'd like you to refrain from insulting my friends", Kaname said. Cross nodded in agreement. He liked Yagari's idea better but he didn't want them starting a mouth fight.

"Kaname-sama should pick someone and room him with Zero. There's enough room for two people", Cross said calmly.

"If that's what you and him had agreed on, I'll select a representative", Kaname nodded.

"I'll check on that idiotic boy", Yagari excused himself. He was half a distance away from the infirmary when Cross caught up with him. Yagari crossed his arms.

"What? I'm worried about him too, y'know".

Another presence sent shivers down Yagari's spine. He groaned inwardly; the pureblood was following them to the infirmary for whatever purpose he was having in mind.

Yagari didn't bother to knock and barged in noiselessly. He froze midway when he saw what he shouldn't see. The same reaction plastered on the other two faces. Takuma looked at them and grinned while Zero seemed to ignore their presence altogether. When he saw the serious faces, he sighed heavily.

"What are you doing to my student without anything on?" Yagari started when he could find his voice.

Takuma rubbed the back of his head. "You see, this is a misunderstanding".

"It looks like you're about to have your way with him", Kaname stated calmly.

"That's why it's a misunderstanding. You see, I just want to warm him up, Kaname-sama".

"Isn't that piling blanket enough?" asked Cross, coming closer to the cuddling pair.

"Kiryuu-kun seems to have a sudden cold attack. Not even that many blankets can warm him up. That's why I decided to use my body heat". He hoped that would clear the misunderstanding.

Kaname waved dismissively. He couldn't care less what Takuma wanted to do to the hunter. Yagari was dissatisfied but it wasn't the pureblood's problem. Knowing Takuma for a long time was enough to convince him that the vice president didn't mean harm even when his willy was hanging down below.

Kaien also believed the blond. Takuma was not a trickster or a liar, that much he knew.

"We understand, Ichijou-san. That's why we will let this one go, won't we, Yagari?"

"Don't look at me", Yagari snapped.

Takuma laughed. "Thank you for believing me", he expressed his gratitude. He stole a look at the hunter and found the said teenager sleeping comfortably.

"I think Ichijou-san will make a good roommate candidate", Cross said.

"Roommate?"

"We are trying to find a roommate for Kiryuu-kun to keep him out of trouble", Cross explained, caressing the sleeping teenager's hair gently.

"That isn't possible", Kaname interrupted," Ichijou will have matters to attend to as a vice president. In fact, I have another candidate in mind".

"Kaname-sama is right. I won't be able to watch over Kiryuu-kun all the time".

"Then name this person", Yagari glared at the pureblood sharply.

"I can assure you this person will not hurt Kiryuu for his loyalty to me is very deep. In fact, Aidou will do a good job. I have high expectation of him", Kaname said. Yagari didn't look pleased but all of them who were present knew Aidou's obsession to Kaname and despite seeing Zero as his rival, he would never go against Kaname's absolute order on the matter, if stated clearly.

"If my student died, I will kill you, bloody pureblood", Yagari said warningly. He needed a smoke to calm his head down.

* * *

><p>When Zero woke up, he found himself alone on the infirmary bed buried underneath thick layers of blankets. Pushing the blankets off him, he stood up groggily, trying to recall his memory of last night.<p>

Nothing seemed to click though.

"How did I end up in here?" he muttered. To top it all, his pants lower clothing were hanging on the arm rest. He ran his hand through his hair and proceeded to put on the boxer and pants. This isn't the first time he had forgotten the event that happened. He was aware how real his memory lapse was.

Except, he was too tired to bother about his memory loss. This sucks.

It was already late midday since his classes started and the last class was only half an hour to its end. It would be an interference if he were to walk into the class in the middle of a lesson. Zero chose to skip his class and head straight on to the headmaster's house.

Thinking that nobody was inside, he went straight to the kitchen. He would have been happy to cook early dinner if it hadn't been for Hanabusa who was sitting at the island, his eyes wandering at the pots and pans before meeting with Zero's dangerous glare. Hanabusa wasn't too happy to see him either and his eyes narrowed dangerously. The feeling was mutual.

"What are you doing here?" Zero hissed.

"What do you think? I'm waiting for you to show you your room so that I can unpack my stuff", Hanabusa replied with the same tone.

"You becoming my roommate? I don't think I like that".

"It's an agreement between headmaster Cross and Kaname-sama. More like a command. Here, take a look at this", Hanabusa handed to him a piece of letter. Zero read it quietly and by the time he finished, he was already cussing internally. They had decided on Hanabusa being his roommate.

"I'm going to see headmaster and talk to him about this. There's no frigging way I'm sticking with you". Zero stormed to the headmaster's office, scrunching the letter in his hand vengefully. He prepared himself with a gun and kicked the door open. When Cross saw him, he immediately duck to dodge the bullet coming right to him.

"Zero-rin, that's very dangerous!" Cross whined childishly.

"This", Zero propelled the scrunched letter on the table, "explain".

Cross scratched his cheeks, his laughter sounded fearful. Zero didn't hide his anger at all. If anything, he didn't want to be rooming with Hanabusa at all. Furthermore, Hanabusa hated his guts. The feelings went two ways. Cross couldn't see a way out. He had to tell Zero the reason Hanabusa was assigned to be his roommate. He waited for Zero to sit down, which the teenager did and he began to explain.

Zero didn't accept Hanabusa as his room-mate well as he had expected but the young hunter looked defeated after listening to Cross' explanation. He would have to deal a stupid vampire for the time being until they lifted the threat verdict on him.

A vampire under Kuran's control was a bad news for him.

"I'll try to compromise", he said before leaving the headmaster to his paperwork. It was better then living with someone he didn't know anyway.

* * *

><p>Aidou carried his luggage with him. Zero showed no sign of helping to carry his luggage along the way the way to the sun dormitory where he would be rooming with the said ex-hunter. When Zero let him into the room, the first thing they observed was a double decker bed that was already set up to make the room less crowded. The layout of the room had also been changed to hold two occupants without inflicting discomfort to any of them. Aidou dropped his luggage on the lower bed's mattress; no one would make him climb ladders everytime he needed to go to sleep. Being in a less than the accepted standard room was already an unhealed scar to him.<p>

Zero dropped the spare key on Aidou's desk. The prefect was quiet all the time they were in the same room and Aidou being obnoxious by nature, was irritated by the silent treatment he was receiving.

He cleared his throat a few times to break the silence.

"Look, I know you're the emo type but you're making me piss just by sitting in the same room as you", Aidou stated.

Zero ignored him. The nerve.

"And why would I be here anyway?" he complained miserably.

"Why don't you ask your pureblood leader?"

"That's not it! I know why I'm here! To keep an eye on your movement and if you are doing anything suspicious, I am to report it immediately to Kaname-sama".

"You don't have to start talking to me then", Zero climbed the ladder up. He was too exhausted to even care about the blond vampire who had started to arrange his clothes and books in his locker. The prefect kept his Bloody Rose underneath his pillow just in case the blond would decide to attack him in his sleep.

"It's not like I want to talk to you", he heard Aidou scoffed, "Oh, and that corner next to the side table will be my reserved lab area. Do not touch anything". Zero readjusted his lying position to face the wall. It would not do him any good to stare at the chirpy blond who was humming unknown tune to entertain himself. It was at first a soft hum but Aidou deliberately increased his volume to annoy Zero and he was successfully getting the result he wanted when Zero pulled the blanket up to his face to filter the noise.

"Do you really think that I would let you sleep?" Aidou huffed.

"Shut up. Tonight is Monday night. I have to wake up early tomorrow for my morning classes!" Zero replied from underneath the blanket.

"You could at least do me a favor by helping me arranging my stuff".

"I don't give a damn about your stuff. Do me a favor by keeping quiet", Zero replied.

Aidou put away the last item in the bag on the desk which was an alarm clock given to him from Kain. It was a bit old and it would be better to buy a new one but this one was speacial to him because Kain made a rare shopping trip on his own to buy it for Aidou. And they were only five at that time.

"Can you stop being chipper all the time?" Zero complained. The cheery mood was nervewrecking.

"Shut up! My emotion control is not your business".

"Stupid vampire roommate".

"Stupid ex-human roommate".

Zero groaned inwardly. Tonight was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:Phew! Alright! Everything is already in place! Let the game begins. See you on the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Everything had been hectic this few weeks... sob... but anyhow, here's your late update. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own VK. Just the plot.**

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><p><strong><em>SNOW QUEEN<em>**

by: SilverMoonRoze

* * *

><p>When they were younger, Ichiru remembered watching Zero sleeping. Always, always watching him taking a forty-winks when he thought Ichiru had gone to sleep. Ichiru would pretend to doze off and his brother would lie next to him and held his hand tightly before dozing off himself. He liked to watch Zero sleep then. Night time was the only time that worrywart would be calm and it was also the only time Zero would look like his actual age, a kid. Ichiru as a kid envied him, wanted to get rid of him for being the one preferred by their parents but now, he'd kill to see that look again.<p>

He'd kill, even if the one he was tearing was just a child. He would dug a heart even if the one that died was innocent. He'd ripped the heart into two and swallowed it fresh and bloody while savoring the taste on his lips.

For Zero, he'd have to perpetuate his own body that was rotting away.

Ichiru studied the child that went limp in his grasp. The young one didn't make a sound; his last cry went unheard when his heart was taken. Ichiru recognized familiarity on the dead face; that calmness he saw every night when Zero was with him. He dropped the dead body onto the flagstone pave, walking away from the alley where the body would rot on his own.

With his hand in his pocket, he passed a few shops. All of them was closed for the day and in front of them, the homeless sat on the cold pavement, ranting nonsense about the corrupted world. One or two would start up a fire in a trash can, standing close to it to warm themselves up.  
>But night time outside was not safe. It won't be long when turned level E would find them and feed the blood from them. This world is a living world for the fittest. The weak would have no chance to breath.<p>

The young male turned left into a lorn street. There was another alleyway with an arrow shaped signboard "HellStove" pointing downwards on the brick wall next to it. He followed the arrow direction and walked down the narrow and steep staircase which led him to a double door.

In the club, there were only men; all of them were searching for entertainment worth their time. Some were drinking, others were filling up the dancefloor. It was heating up inside and Ichiru covered his mouth from smelling the nauseating odour in the club.

A few of the men tried to talk to him but he wasn't there as a disposable partner for the night so he ignored them. Just at the backstage was another door leading to the second floor where he lived in and when he was out from the heavy atmosphere, he took off his jacket and threw it off on the floor. His upper arm was turning bluish purple and it had him worry. He eyed the guidebook on the sofa, the one book he had gone through trouble to steal from the Vampire library. The one next to it was his family spell tome he had found during the time he spent with Shizuka.

He'd never knew that he would end up using a spell from his family tome for he hated Kiryuu, himself included a lot.

And the person he despised the most was the person he loved the most who was also a Kiryuu by heart and name.

Ichiru facepalmed. He hadn't got much time left. If he wanted his brother to be his only and if he wanted to continue living, he needed to complete making his ice castle soon.

Two full moons left and if he fail, he'd lose everything he had worked so hard to get.

* * *

><p>If you wanted to find the best hiding place, where would you be to avoid from all the seeing eyes? There were a forest of trees, buildings and ground. Everywhere, no matter how high a potential a hiding place was, nothing could escape the sharp eyes of a vampire. This was a problem indeed for Zero who needed an immediate place to stay out of sight from a certain pureblood dog.<p>

He had been searching for a good place high and low for three nights. If another day he was bugged by the pest, his Bloody Rose would be a good pesticide to rid such insect. All he needed was a mere half a day for himself, not including his lessons time. Why couldn't he fit a rabbit hole for certainly, it would do the trick to disappear forever into a Wonderland.

At least in Wonderland, Hanabusa wouldn't even be there to watch him.

"Ooof", he leaned forward upon stumbling a stone. Annoyed, he bent down and picked it up. He lifted it above his eye level, twirling it around with his fingers. On the ground, it would look like a normal stone but upon closer inspection, its colour was dark blue. When he looked down, he saw stones of similar type arranged in a line, a tempting trail calling at Zero to follow it.

Zero followed the track until the line stopped. There was a small pond and he bent down. Water lilies grew wildly and wild ducks paddled across the pond, diving in only when feeding. Fishes resurfaced with gaping mouth and small bubbles moved gently as the water rippled when the fishes dived back to the bottom of the pond.

He had never known such a place existed. It was so peaceful there as if he was out of the world. Zero looked around and saw a big tree. He approached it and admired the gigantic structure of the tree, then lying down underneath it. The quietness was overwhelming that his eyes drooped, his breathing slowing down. This place was making him suddenly wanted to sleep a deep slumber.

He was almost surrendering to his sleepiness when he was grabbed by the collar and lifted up. Zero snapped his eyes open, finding a thick brunette tresses in his line of sight. Zero felt the aura of a pureblood and was all too familiar with the rough treatment he was getting. He grabbed the other's wrist forcefully to release himself.

"What on earth are you doing?" Zero shouted.

"I'm saving you".

"Don't bluff. That's a pathetic excuse".

Kaname kept his mouth shut. A pathetic level D who couldn't tell where danger lies was not worth his time to worry about. He should've just let him perish. Zero bit his lips when the pureblood ignored him. The silence in between them was mocking him. Instinctively, he reached out for Kaname's hand and held it strongly.

"Why do I need your saving?"  
>Kaname tugged their locked hands. "Let go. This is disgusting". Zero growled but released the other.<p>

"I-" Zero trailed off, "I just want to know if you deserve my gratitude", the young hunter hung his head low.

"Just for the record, there's no gratitude in between us. We are enemies".

Zero clicked his tongue. His hatred to the pureblood had always been so deep and they should just remain unfriendly to each other. Furthermore, his saving way was nothing to appreciated about and Zero was still clueless about the reason he needed to be saved.

"Yeah, you're right".

Zero watched Kaname's back as they left the area but Kaname was increasing the distance in between them for each steps he took. Zero felt the temperature around him dropped bit by bit; his whole body began to tremble. He kept watching the pureblood's back, collapsing onto his knees without realising he was the one unmoving.

"C-Cold", he whined, hugging his body and rubbing against the shirt. His eyes felt heavy and sleep began to claim him. He began to lose his balance and fell flat with his face touching the ground first. A normal healthy person would've scream in pain but Zero was too cold that he'd forgotten he wasn't walking anymore. The world started to become blurry and the coldness began to spread around his throbbing chest. Somehow, he felt his end was near or maybe that was just his pathetic mind talking.

But he'd welcome death if it had to be then.

Zero felt his body moved into a sitting position. If it was Kaname, he might've done it out of goodwill. He snorted; that bloodsucker was anything else but a vampire with kindness. An unkind creature like him wouldn't possess warmth that could melt anyone with just an embrace. Zero buried his head onto the bare shoulder. The coldness he was experiencing was dissipating as the heat began to claim his body. Suddenly, the unreal became real and his fuzzy mind from fighting against the coldness returned to be as sharp as a blade. He could clearly see the brunette lock and his embarassment took over him.

Zero pushed away from the said pureblood who had lent him his warmth that could never be returned. He knew Kuran couldn't leave him dying for all the blame would be pointed to him if Zero came back lifeless but he couldn't stop the nervousness from filling his heart to the brim. The warmth was too unreal and he had tasted it.

_This is bad_, he thought to himself._ And why the hell is he taking off his shirts anyway?_ Rising up quickly, Zero ran from the said pureblood, hiding his redden face away from the surprised pureblood. He used his vampiric power to escape just this once. Having Kaname did that to him had turned him all mushy inside.

He didn't like it one bit.

_I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have tasted what anyone else couldn't have_. Oh, how he regretted for letting it happened.

* * *

><p>Aidou counted the number of invinsible beans he had in his palm and by invinsible, he meant it as an illusion that had appeared in his hand to calm him down as he dragged his feet across Kaname-sama's study. He averted his eyes to the floor from the only pureblood whose air of indignation polluted the whole room despite wearing his cool mask on his face. Sensing no progression, the noble vampire slowly raised his face from the floor, bracing himself for any physical punishment he would be receiving from Kaname-sama.<p>

"Hanabusa, you have failed me", there it went, the commentary he had been waiting for all day long.

"I'm sorry, Kuran-sama", he apologized meekly but from his past experience, Kaname-sama wouldn't spare him just from an apology. The pureblood rose from his seat, walking towards the noble and stopped in front of him. His hand rose and the noble received his punishment without shedding a tear.  
>If only he had done his job properly, things wouldn't come to this point.<p>

"Let this be the last. Keep a close watch on the hunter. Make sure he never leave your sight".  
>"Yes, Kuran-sama".<p>

"You are dismissed". Aidou lowered his head and turned tail towards the door. When he was outside, the tears he had been holding back rolled down on his cheek. He had failed Kaname-sama; he never did and yet, this one time! It was a simple mission and it shouldn't be too hard for him to handle.

_This is Kiryuu we're talking about_. When it comes to Kiryuu and a hunter nonetheless, he should've expected that it shouldn't be that easy to confine him. He needed to think up something before he received a far more severe punishment than just a slap.

When he entered the room he was sharing with the said hunter, the animosity aural pressured his senses. Aidou hated the sensation and he wished he could return to his room soon. Judging from the blazer hanging on the end of his headboard, the hunter had just returned from his escape attempt. Aidou looked at the bare feet hanging at the edge of the upper bed. Judging from the thumbs constant twitching, he concluded how wide awake the hunter was.  
>He took the liberty to remove the annoying piece of garment to Kiryuu's desk.<p>

"Hey, you, stop leaving your clothes anywhere you feel like".

"This used to be my room", he heard the protest.

"It was until I moved in to share it with you. And we agreed not to disturb each other's place", Aidou reminded Zero as he changed into his sleeping garments.

"If you don't like it, move out. It's as easy as that".

"And I have no intention of going against Kuran-sama's order. Where did you go anyway?"

"It's none of your business", and just when Zero finished his reply, Aidou was hit by the scent of the spring. It wasn't strong but he caught it coming from the hunter. And it disappeared a few seconds later.

"You... Did something happen?"

"Like I said, it's none of your business. Keep your questions to yourself".

"Tch, sorry for trying to help". Aidou looked out of the window. It would be dawn soon. It had been roughly about thirteen hours when he realised Kiryuu was nowhere in sight. That had been his mistake for looking away for a few seconds and he intended not to allow the same thing from repeating itself. When he was sure Kiryuu was already asleep, he casted a spell to tie himself to Kiryuu.

This way, the hunter would never escape from him ever again.

* * *

><p>He received a call on the night before to become a stand in for the president in the meeting between the races. At first, he thought of suggesting another name but as it turned out to be, the president insisted on him to go to the meeting. He said it was very important for him and he should be there to listen to it. Yagari hated to wear a get up like a formal suit. Everything about it annoyed him. Not only was it warm, it was also tight near his pelvis. He found it difficult to walk in one, much like how a novice girl walked in a prada for the first time.<p>

The walk to the meeting room was a long one with him stopping once in a while to fix his necktie. He was technically choking with it around him. Once he was inside, he grunted at how the chair's angling was too uptight. He wondered if he could stand sitting on it silently throughout the whole meeting.  
>When every members arrived, they stood to bow at the vampire leader whom Yagari hated with all his feelings. He, unlike the rest of the occupants, refused to give the vampire a respectful greeting but Kaname let the glitch passed. After all, he knew how Yagari would be happy to eliminate vampire anytime if he was given an excuse to do so.<p>

Once the meeting started, everyone jumped into the main topic of discussion. The Wizardry society reported on how nothing has change; the divination still gave them the same result. It would all happen in two full moons. They would all perish. Yagari was surprised how intense the conversation had turned out to be. Nobody was hiding the fact they were indeed panicking.

"Listen, Kuran-sama, we have thought of a way out of this", the human representative was standing to speak. Kaname kept himself quiet but he urged them to speak.

"We think... we think we should eliminate this Kiryuu person".

Yagari's eyes widened at the suggestion being made. By eliminating, did they mean sentencing Zero to death? Were they thinking what he was thinking? Maybe he should clarify this first so that they were on the same page.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means to kill him. If he was taken out of the equation, no disaster will befall on us".

Yagari looked at Kaname who remained in silence. Then, he turned at the other members who looked as intrigued as the one suggesting Zero's death. Everyone was messed up in the head and he could see how glaringly obvious their darkness in their eyes.

If they wanted Zero dead, he couldn't allow it to happen.

"No, you can't put him on the death row. It's just too cruel", he said.

"But sacrificing one person for the whole world is a perfect solution to this matter".

"And what if it turned out even worse than that? Then, would you sacrifice one after the other for the sake of saving the world?"  
>"Let's think about it. Kiryuu is the key to our destruction. If we throw the key out, then..."<p>

Yagari slammed the table hard.

"I know Kiryuu personally. He's my student. For me to think he deserve this will be wrong. Kiryuu has a soul like us. All his actions were justified but none of it was out of the league of justice. He contributes as much to the rest of the world. It won't be fair for him if we suddenly put him to an eternal sleep".

"I know this is hard for..."

"Look here, what if someone comes up to you and tell you to silent your loved one for the sake of the world? Would you allow it to happen at the same time knowing their importance to you?"

Everyone went quiet.

"I will not allow anyone to lay a finger on him. Mark my word".

The other members turned to look at Kaname expectantly but Kaname shook his head. "I'm sorry but I would have to agree with Yagari-san".

"Kuran-sama..."

"You are all dismissed".

And they gave out defeated sighs.

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><p><strong>AN:I hope you have fun reading the update...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Alright, I'm a bit slow at updating since my class is already starting but I hope you guys will enjoy this little drama I put up. Of course, I'm focusing heavily on relationship kind of development (hope that didn't spoil anything). Thank you for your reviews. You guys are wonderful! A big hug from me is in order! Alright, enough chatting, moving on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot.**

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><p><em><strong>SNOW QUEEN<strong>_

by: SilverMoonRoze

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><p>Yuuki's eyes kept on wandering at every spot in the lecture hall. Biology lecture was always so dull and plain (weren't those the same thing?) and she couldn't help but to begin sailing away into her daydream. With her chin rested on her right knuckle, she began to entertain herself with the faces of her two favourites; one being Kaname and the other Zero.<p>

Just two rows behind, Zero was looking blankly at the slides presented. His eyes were pale lavender, his face was pallid and his hair was in a mess. He was sitting so straightly and appeared to be listening to the lecture attentively. Even the lecturer who noticed this avoided looking at Zero; the fact that his act was unusual enough distracted him throughout the lesson time.

When the class was over, Yuuki decided to talk to Zero. She ignored the catcalls from the other boys and walked to his desk, tapping the hunter on the shoulder lightly. At first, Zero was negligent and continued to stare at the board that was already empty. Yuuki blowed up her face and on her next attempt, she decided to punch him on the shoulder.

The hunter flinched and looked at her warily.

"What are you doing? We're in the middle of Calculus", Zero grinded his teeth.

Yuuki's eyebrow arched. "What are you talking about? Calculus ended three hours ago! We have just finished Biology".

"You're talking nonsense! Just go back to your seat before the lecturer decides to send you a flying mug".

"You're not making sense, Zero", she stated as a matter of factly. Zero took his time to study the sudden change around him. There was only Yuuki standing in the hall with him as the other sitting occupant. Anything white on the blackboard was smudged from the hands that were grazing against it. And his notebook was completely empty.

"When did the class end?" he whispered, eyes widened.

"Zero", Yuuki tapped her hand on his shoulder, "You... Are you troubled from that evening?"

That evening. Zero knew which evening she was refering to. It was as if she had just to mention it and all his nightmares would flash right before him. Zero clenched his sweaty palm and shook his head. He could never allow Yuuki to feel troubled by his own tragic experience.

"I'm alright. I... I might have been caught in the net of my daydream and... and didn't realise how much time has passed", he faked his best grin and closed his notebook.

"Let's go. I'll treat you to Ramen".

Yuuki bounced happily at the mention of Ramen. "How generous of you!" she smacked his back and skipped ahead of him.

Zero couldn't help from twitching his eyebrows.

"What's that for? It's not like I can't be nice sometimes."

* * *

><p>Aidou hugged his teddy bear and rolled closer to the wall. The blanket was long gone from his body to the floor and the pillow was no longer underneath his head. Drools stained the side of his cherry lips and his hair was in a messy state. On his face, a grin forced its way up as he dreamt of a mechanical being resembling Kaname serving him a cup of Earl Grey like a gentleman he was.<p>

Yet, his dream was short living when his right thumb moved unconsented, jerking 120 degrees angle that caused the young vampire to jump up in painful shock.

"That hurts!" he screamed in agony, rolling out of his bed only to double over on the floor. Aidou sucked his thumb to sooth the pain and when it lessened, an understanding of the situation dawned onto him.

The noble changed into his uniform without as much as looking at the mirror to fix his appearance. The leash... The leash spell was working and he just knew that Zero was drawing closer to the vicinity outside of the academy compound. Aidou didn't even put on his shoes when he left the room. His mind was focused onto stopping Zero from leaving the academy. There were times when his feet were screaming from stepping on sharp pebbles but those were just a small hindrance. No matter how painful or hurt he was, Kaname's order was his priority.

He was relieved to find Zero standing next to the gate with his arms crossed.

"That's a relief", he whispered to himself but his words alerted the ex-human. To Zero, Aidou was an unwelcomed presence and he felt the need to chase the noble away. His hand was close to the bloody rose's holster, his posture was one of a fighter on a battle field.

Anytime now, they could be wielding weapons (or in Aidou's case, generating power) to bring down the losing one.

"What are you doing here, Vampire?" the ex-hunter spoke out rudely to his own roommate. Even if they shared a room didn't mean they have to get along and Zero had never intended to befriend a creature like Hanabusa. Aidou, likewise, responded to the unfriendly attitude with the same gesture. Low pressure enveloped his hands, waiting for the other to take a step that would cause them both a reason to fight.

He was never fond of the ex-human ever. The feeling was indeed mutual.

"If you're thinking of leaving, I'm afraid I can't allow that", Hanabusa replied, his head cocking upwards.

"Is this one of your beloved prince's order, scum?"

"Hardly but my job will be easier if you don't wander off too far. Be a good boy and stay locked in your room".

"I see. Then I have no obligation to stick around with the likes of you. As far as I'm concerned, the bird can leave the cage anytime he likes".

"A birdy? You?" Aidou's eyes looked at Zero with mirth. Zero growled at the mocking tone the noble had used on him. If anything, a vampire like Aidou had no rights to smear him with mockery.

"Mind your own business!"

"Oh, I would love too but no".

Zero held his gun at point blank. Aidou was ready to dodge the bullet whe it was shot. The air surrounding them was thickening, only to be blown away with the sound of someone clearing his throat.

"I would love to see a great show but I believe the academy ground is a peace zone for Vampires and Humans. Hunters included".

The surge of pressure was gone from the noble's hand after realising who it was that had talked to them. Without a second thought, the noble was on his knees, bowing his head to greet his leader.

"Kuran-sama, I'm sorry to let you see that", the noble said apologetically.

"We'll discuss about this later when I'm free but for now, I am here at the request of Cross-chan", Kaname smiled his princely smile. Zero frowned deeper at the way Kaname had mentioned Yuuki's name.

It wasn't long before Yuuki came to them running with her bag swinging at her running motion. The girl stopped to catch her breath and gave them a thumb up.

"Let's all go to the Ramen Shop! I know a place where the ramen is super delicious!"

Zero looked at her dumbfoundedly. _What in the world did she take my invitation for? Is this turning into some kind of an outing?_

"And you should all thank Kaname-sama because he will be the one paying!"

Zero grounded his teeth. This girl, he concluded, was a dumb and an impossible one. Zero was supposed to bring her to the ramen store. Zero was supposed to be the one emptying his wallet to pay for the meals. And the first one to invite her was Zero.

When she said she had a friend she wanted to bring along, he should've eliminated Yori out of the list. Then, they might be sitting at the store eating ramen, just the two of them.

"I don't seem to understand why Kiryuu-kun doesn't look pleased at all at the aforementioned of my kindness", Kaname pointed out blandly.

"Oh, he must be upset because he couldn't pay this time around! But don't worry, Zero! I'll let you pay next time", the girl soothed him with a pat on his head. Zero shrugged her off and walked out of the gate. His action resulted a pout on the girl's face.

"Fine, be that way", she stuck her tongue out at him, following after him. Kaname turned to look at Aidou's lower than standard appearance and felt the need to comment on it.

"Living with a hunter must have influenced you to ignore the importance of self presentation".

Aidou blushed but followed quietly behind the vampire prince.

* * *

><p>They were at the quiet part of the small town. Pristine and delicate, the culture intertwined with the society no matter how bustling the other part of the world had become. Everything was so quiet and so mesmerizing; walking on the pedestrian road by the riverbank was an almost nonexisting experience in other places but here, this scenery was real. Aidou was the last one walking with Zero at the most front. In between the two boys, Kaname and Yuuki walked side by side. While Yuuki's eyes had never left the back of the silver haired teenager, Kaname seemed to adopt the habit to stare at her staring at the other teen.<p>

A few gondola rode the water, each row was smooth but sluggish. The working hour had just ended for the morning society but for the ones that sliced the darkness and prefered to be walking under the moonlight, the night was still young.

They noted that the season brought the most sensual scent in the air, almost perfume like but not heavy enough for them to turn away from it. Night lantern was put up for the night walkers and some vendors ran their shops until dusk approached. A few woman prostitutes roamed the road in their club uniforms, some of them gladly threw a wink or two at the boys, hoping to score a one night stand with the beautiful faces but none fed them with the lustful look they had wanted which left the women quite disappointed.

At the dead end, they entered the one shop Yuuki had claimed to sell the tastiest ramen in the town. Kaname seemed a bit agitated to see the layout of the shop since he had never been in a shop that provides only stools and uneven legged wooden tables to their customers. Aidou too was frowning but he was quick to hide it when the owner stepped up to them to greet the customers.

"Order away, young ones", the owner said hyperactively.

"I would like to see the menu to decide the food, please", Kaname kindly requested.

"Sorry, boy! We put our menu right there on the board. You might need some time to decide but to tell you the truth, we only sell ramen but with different flavors! Take your time and I'll come back in a few minutes", the owner said and greeted his next customer who had entered the shop looking half drunk.

Yuuki rubbed her hands together. She had the food she wanted to eat in mind and it was none other than ramen. Zero too had decided. While the two had thought up the meal they wanted to, the other pair was left to wonder what flavors they would want to try. The shop didn't offer much but judging from Yuuki's excited behaviour, the food there must worth the penny. The owner kept his word and came back to take their order. They ordered pretty much the same thing, Miso ramen and canned juice, since nothing else sounded appealing.

"The cook makes the tastiest ramen on the planet! I'm sure you will love it!" Yuuki clapped her hands.

Zero winced lightly. Too much excitement and too much annoyance.

"If Cross-chan says so, then it must be true", Kaname replied.

The conversation went on and on in between Kaname and Yuuki while the other two remained quiet. There was nothing much to say, even after the ramen bowls were served. Zero set the Naruto fishcake aside; the best piece was the last one to be enjoyed since it would be the touch up to the whole dinner. Even when eating, Zero made it a point to eat in a sequential order that brought pleasure because pleasure to him was scarce.

Very scarce that he was mostly buried in agony.

He didn't pay much attention to anything else until he caught his half drank canned juice taken away by the vampire prince who was sitting across the table in front of him. He didn't even realise that he had let the ramen clipped in between the chopsticks to slide off and returned into the bowl. All the while, his eyes seemed to be focusing on how the brunette was drinking his canned juice he had drank from just a moment ago. Shameless ideas bombarded his mind and he couldn't reject the blood flushing to his cheeks as well as the memory of Kaname he had had in the course of time not too long ago.

Zero stood up. The moment Kaname looked up to him to wince at his abrupt movement, Zero's feet took a step backward and he left the shop quickly. There was something about Kaname that made his heart thumped. Was it fear? He doubted it since the only time he would ever fear Kaname was when he was at the peak of his anger. Demolition, at Kaname's rage, was inevitable. Then why would his heart thump from that obviously unplanned mistake? Why would his heart beat in a pace outpacing the mediocre rate? Why was the need to escape overwhelmed him so much as if he was fearing a ghastly being chasing after him no matter where he hide?

Zero's heart was playing a trick on him. A malicious trick that would brought him down to his own downfall.

Meanwhile, all that was present began to wonder of Zero's oddity. They had been at their best behaviour in front of Yuuki, so why the need to leave just came into the window so suddenly? Even Yuuki began to fill her heart with worry and she stood up, the need to chase after Zero came falling down in her hand heavily like a brick. Zero had been acting weird since morning and she needed to consult him with her supporting attitude.

She didn't understand why she felt that it had to be her to cure Zero. Was her brotherly complex went deeper than she thought or was it a different kind of complex she was feeling for Zero?

Whatever it was, she needed to follow him.

As soon as she left, Kaname stood up, his ramen forgotten. To be more precise, none of them remembered the taste of the food but the bitterness Kaname felt when Yuuki went ahead to follow Zero pricked his heart like needles. It was as if Yuuki was telling him that she had chosen Zero no matter who Kaname was, no matter how great of a status he possessed.

And yet, this bitterness was what drove him to chase after her. He took out his wallet and flung it at the unsuspecting noble.

"Pay the bill for us. I can't leave her to search for Zero alone. You can use it for other purposes if you had any other desire. To the brothel if you want".

"K-Kuran-sama", Aidou choked on his ramen. Kaname took the opportunity to leave.

He wasn't far away when he heard the noble wailing but even a scream as loud as that didn't pull him away from the chase.

To Kaname, it was now or never to claim Yuuki as his.

* * *

><p>There had been rumours that a suspicious activity was taking place in the darker side of the small town. Any law jurisdiction could smell the darkness stenching certain corners in the town and while matters that involved bribery, weapon trade or human trafficking would be the least corcern to the Hunter Association, they couldn't close a blind eye to plans that involved Vampires and Level E.<p>

Words have reached the Hunter Association that a big group of vampires, nobles, had been spotted to enter a high class dark world trading club reserved for its members only. Rarely would a group of vampires went to an outing since they'd prefer homely environment but for them to attend the club, the headquarters smelled a heavy conspiracy.

That was why they had faked a membership card, going through the trouble to provide Kaito with the best disguise and even paid him a large sum of money for putting his life on the line.

To Kaito, however, he didn't give a damn if he were ever to end up in a casket made out of cheap wood. He wouldn't be alive to complain of its quality and while he was still able to walk around on this not so pretty world, he found the idea to tease his adrenaline rush in a black market expensive club appealing. High grade chicks and booze; for now, he'd act like the bad boy he was.

Still, missions are missions. Kaito, even when his head was fuzzy from all the alcohol he had consumed, would never forget his purpose to be there. It would take a lot more than just drunkness to make his mask slip away. That was how well his teacher had taught him.

Just like the rumor, a group of Vampires, mostly nobles walked into the club in their best suits. Their beauty was a magnet to beauties. All the butterflies fluttered away from his arms to settled in between the dazzling flowers sitting in a group. They didn't have to name their alcohol to get the best one out there. The bottles were taken out straight from the storage room and were polished until the surface shone for the nobles' satisfaction for the night.

_This world is really that unfair_, he thought.

He was taking another sip when he saw another person with a hood covering his hair invited himself in from the backdoor. The hunter squinted his eyes to study the figure and his mouth gaped at the moment the hood was removed.

"Z-Zero?" he questioned. Those silver hair did look like the hair Zero had had ever since he had been alive but his disfigured face was what disturbed him most. Kaito decided to change seat closer to the group, one hand covering his face to avoid from any recognition. His eavesdropping ability might not be as sharp as a vampire but from where he was sitting, he could hear the words as if he was apart of the group.

**"The deterioration is happening faster than I thought. I need those gem fast!" **the one that shared the same face as Zero grunted his words.

**"Those gems are very rare. It will take us sometimes to obtain them"**, replied a green haired vampire. The zero look alike sighed.

**"World domination is what you are after, right? You hate his attempt to fix the world and you want to crush him. When you have no method to kill him, I do and you are desperate to have it from me. Our trade is not even an absurd one. I need the gem, you provide me the gem and I give you the spell. I can't wait any longer. I'll strike a deal with another vampires if I have to".**

**"But, Ichiru-san, it's not easy to gain them! Those are sealed gems that you are after!" **the other noble whined and this time was the one with red hair.

**"Precisely why I need them! What I'm after is for their ability! Of course, it will be of no use to you". **

The people around the table kept themselves quiet. Ichiru was forceful about getting the gems as fast as they could and he was the only one with the spell to dethrone their current leader. They couldn't let him ran off to make offers to another vampires for the gems or their own plan would be in ruin.

In another words, Ichiru was at the end of the controlling line and they were blindly obeying his order for their own benefits.

**"Alright, we'll bring them to you in three days. Are you fine with it?" **

**"I'll see you again in three days". **

**"It's good to do business with you, Ichiru-san", **the nobles gave him their respects. Ichiru pulled up his hoody to cover his face again. The deterioriating face was too ugly to be flaunted to the public. Though he was ready to leave, he didn't immediately went out from the club. Instead, a smirk crept up his face.

**"May I give you a word of advice before I leave, dear nobles?" **

**"Is there something that might have troubled you, Ichiru-san?" **asked the one with green hair.

**"Indeed, there is. I saw something interesting not too far away from here while walking up to your table earlier. Now, it's just two tables away on the north side of this club. The word starts with an h and ends with a r. Take a guess". **

**"A h-hunter! Guards!" **the nobles shouted. Kaito's eyes widened in shock. Even his body was suddenly shutting down from self preservation.

Information might not be extracted easily from a drunken hunter but the same could not be applied to his reaction.

At the moment, he could only think of a sentence best describing his situation. _I'm screwed._

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><p><em><strong>TBC... Read and Review... XD <strong>  
><em>


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Sleeping in the spring**

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><p>Zero halted on the bridge he had ran onto, his hands curled around the railing after he had recovered from the cramp he was getting while being chased. The crescent moon in the river reflected vividly behind his own reflection. His breathing was erratic and sweat was glazing his flawless skin. He had run away from the shop and he had lose them. Yuuki had probably gave up on tailing him. A two hours chase was a bit beyond of the girl's capability.<p>

Zero huffed. What he had been thinking back in the ramen shop was outrageous. Kaname was a male vampire just like him. To believe that he would be sexually attracted to the other, his mind must have been in a muddle!

He breathed in deeply. These past weeks, he had been bombarded with changes. His behavior, his lifestyle… they were all not his own. He looked down at his reflection, trying to find his old self in it. Why couldn't he grow up in an ideal world where he could be happy?

Zero released the railings and looked at the sky. "What I need is", he said quietly and the coldness returned to his body unexpectedly. The young hunter choked in surprise when cold air brazen his lungs. No, that wasn't it. The air he breathed in was turned into cold and dry air. Zero shivered and hugged himself tightly.

"Warmth, I n…need warmth", he couldn't stand anymore that he simply lied down, curling like a ball to gather heat. Would there be anyone out there who would be kind enough to give him the heat he need? He could die, he would die if this chilliness continued to pierce through his flesh. Slowly but surely.

In the distance, he could hear his name being called. So near and yet so far. He was losing consciousness. Deep in his mind, only one thought remained focus. He moved his lips to utter the incantation. Softly but clearly. He just needed one thing and if he couldn't find _her_ , he would live on this world no longer.

He felt a hand resting on his forehead. It was warm but Zero was still enwrapped by the coldness that soon, he entered into a stupor. All the while, his lips kept on repeating the same incantation. He knew he would never stop chanting it.

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><p>Kaname ran towards the bridge with a whining Aidou moving not too far behind. The pureblood had sent Yuuki home and promised her to bring Zero back. Whatever jealousy he was feeling, he would deal with it after he returned to the academy ground. There on the bridge, the hunter was already on the floor boards, his consciousness slipping away by the seconds.<p>

Zero was shivering, his neck strenuous and his eyes becoming out of focus. Kaname remembered the time he had saved Zero from the hunting ground of the vampires, the peaceful pond of deception. He had seen the hunter having similar symptoms, shivering in a mild temperature day as if winter has knocked on the season's door.

The pureblood rested his hand on the hunter's forehead. The hunter was a block of ice. He removed his hand and tugged his coat off from his top, covering Zero with it and lifting the hunter off the ground. Even Aidou who had been watching in silence felt worry for the hunter. This symptom was one that he had never seen before. Even his ice could only froze a person and immobilized him but never stole the warmth needed to keep him alive.

"S, Snow queen", Kaname heard the boy whispered.

"My… My snow queen", Zero repeated. The pureblood did not miss the word. The snow queen was after all the name of the hunter's charm he was researching into. Zero kept muttering the same words like a prayer, never ending like the winter he was experiencing deep within. The pureblood made haste to the academy and headed to the only direction he knew off. The act of healing could only be done by a doctor and he reached the door just in time to see the doctor going out for his break.

"I apologize for disturbing you", said Kaname, "but your service is required".

"Not at all, Kuran-sama", the doctor showed Kaname the way into his medical room. Kaname set Zero down on the treatment table softly. The doctor put on his stethoscope and pressed the cup against the hunter's back underneath his shirt.

"His heart beat is fading away", the doctor mumbled. He took the thermometer and checked the temperature. His eyes widened at the impossible reading and cast a worried glance at the hunter.

"Kuran-sama, may I ask that this boy be put in the ICU immediately? He is in a critical state. He should be move to the hospital with better facility than the ones in this school".

"I'm afraid that the one you should ask the permission from is his guardian but to inform them will make the situation more difficult".

"Forgive me, Kuran-sama but this boy is in danger of developing frostbite. I have to put him in the ICU immediately and supervise his condition all the time. My job as a doctor is to save life. I have recited my oath when I took this path".

Would there be no other way around this situation? Zero's symptom could be mistaken as a product of Hanabusa's attempt of assault. Kaname respected the people around him and eventhough the noble was mostly an annoying ball of energy, he was loyal at carrying out the pureblood's order. To send out for the hunter's guardians would only create a measly misunderstanding.

"If I am not mistaken", he mumbled softly, taking off the remaining clothes covering his top, "this method had worked before". He grabbed the hunter's hand, gently pulling him up and wrapped his arms around Zero. Aidou was left speechless as well as the doctor at his abrupt decision to lend his warmth to the hunter. Zero's strained muscle relaxed while in his embrace and his heartbeat slowly returned to normal. The shivering slowly went away and after quite sometimes, the hunter's breathing was no longer shallow as it was before.

"I have calmed him down. Calling the guardians will be unnecessary".

The doctor who had been stalling for a while now nodded and grabbed his pen. "This is an odd disease. From what I have collected, your action has somehow returned the warmth back into his body".

"He had been muttering of the word that I had been curious about. I will have to interrogate Kiryuu-kun afterwards when he is feeling better".

"I find this disease worthy of my attention. May I carry out a regular check up on this young hunter?" asked the doctor.

"I have said it before. Such decision is not mine to make. I would prefer if this event is kept only in between the three of us", Kaname sternly replied.

"As you wish, Kuran-sama", the doctor replied in a respectful manner. The prince's orders were absolute. He was a keen follower of Kaname and thus, he would not destroy his reputation in the academy just because he was curious. Although, if he was given the chance, he would gladly observe the hunter. The doctor however knew he wasn't alone biting at his own curiosity. There was another 'cat' who was sniffing eagerly at the road of knowledge. Aidou Hanabusa had the glint in his eyes that only the people who had walked the path of knowledge would know. Maybe he could use this noble's curiosity to his advantage.

Kaname was on the other hand battling with the hunter who was griping on his hands. There was no sign that Zero would let go of him soon. He froze when the hunter nuzzled closely. Such contacts was giving him unknown goose bump he found had no appeal of pleasure.

"Kiryuu-kun, you must let go of me", the pureblood said. Zero was in his comfort zone that he had dozed off on Kaname's stomach.

"He's like a cat. I should tell him about this moment later. Now I have a blackmail material to make sure he would not bark at me anymore".

"You will never speak of this to anyone, Hanabusa", Kaname said glaringly. If words got out, both he and the hunter would see a road to infinite shame.

"It seems like he would never let go of Kuran-sama. You can have this place until he wakes up. I'm sure he will come around soon enough", the doctor bowed and left the room.

"Hanabusa", he called to the noble.

"Yes, Kuran-sama?"

"Guard the door and don't let anyone come into this room. I will have your head and nothing else if you fail me".

Aidou gulped. "I will not fail you, Kuran-sama".


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Don't own anything and yeah, I can't promise when my next update will be. But I apologize for being late... XD

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><p>Chapter 8: Trouble in the deep<p>

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><p>Soundlessly, the door of HellCove bar was opened, allowing the sound to meld with the peaceful surrounding and soon was muffled again when the door was connected again to the hinge. The steps upwards was angled steeply that one would have to slowly climb in order to stay upright. The red brick walls created intense shadow around the entrance, an uninviting place made only for those who dare to step in for an exchange of ecstasy.<p>

Kaito, being a hunter trained for his footwork and agility, climbed the steep stairs with ease. He pulled the trench coat over his body, the end skirting moving in motion with his pulling dynamic. He unfolded the collar upright and lowered his head, almost as if he was going to tuck in his head in the high collar. His hands were tucked inside the side pockets on both left and right and he took the left turn into the alleyway, speeding up his walking speed as he did so.

The sound of the same door being shoved resonated the street. Hearing that, Kaito dashed even faster to completely disappear from the people who have just left 'HellCove'. He tried to make his movement as soundless as possible but he could clearly heard a shout behind him, "there he is!" sending a surge of fear down his spine.

It wasn't that he was not trained to battle vampires. It was the fact that the vampires he had tailed were all from the nobles and there was a possibility that a pureblood was also in the mix. The chase had already begun the moment he was sighted and just when he took a turn in a diverging road where confusion usually happen, the vampire who had arrived later managed to follow his trail.

"Shit", he cursed as he took another alley but was countered by a dead end. He couldn't hide himself because at night, the vampire became extremely sensitive to the scent of human and he scoured back to make his leap over the wall that had stopped his escape. His collar was tugged from behind before he could spring up over the wall and losing his balance, the hunter fell onto his rear.

"Do you think the escape will be easy?" asked the vampire who had caught him.

"Certainly, escaping a vampire of your level will never be easy", Kaito replied, "But I am not going down without a fight". The hunter grabbed the wrist of the vampire and applied one of the self-defense sequence he had learnt. The vampire fell on his back and Kaito took the chance to make his escape. He used his left hand to support his landing motion and sprinted the moment his body grounded.

"I have to find a place I could hide in", the hunter thought as he desperately tried to find a good place to conceal himself. Building after building but all the windows were all shut. There was nowhere to hide and Kaito found himself in the tightest situation. When he saw the first door being unlocked by its resident, he jumped at the opportunity to hide his presence.

"I'm sorry but can you let me in?" Kaito asked the man for his kind will.

Kaito pushed himself through without waiting for his reply. Before the man could utter a single word, he covered the other's mouth and closed the door.

"I'm being chased and I hope you will cooperate with me", the hunter whispered to hush the man. He heard voices of his chasers not long after. The vampires stopped right in front of the house.

"The scent stops here", he heard one of the chasers spoke.

"He could be nearby. For example, behind this door", said the other.

"If they knock the door, tell them I'm not here", lowly said, Kato whipped a gun from its holster from inside of his trench coat and aimed to the man's head. "I will kill you if you don't chase them away". The man trembled at the sight of the gun (which Kaito knew fully well wouldn't hurt a human). Obediently, he stood up to talk to the vampires outside of the door.

The conversation went on peacefully at first.

"You are hiding someone", accused the vampire with green hair.

"I'm sorry, sir. You must be mistaken. There is no one else here except for me".

"Then, let us through so that we know you are not lying", said the other vampire with red hair.

"That won't do. This is my property. According to law, I have the right to refuse your request. Please kindly leave".

"You reek of fear. Who else is hiding behind this door, I wonder?" asked the one with the green hair. He held out his hands and the door exploded to unrecognized form. Kaito had jumped forward before the door exploded. The man however was knocked out when his head hit the side wardrobe's leg.

"I can bend the force at my will. My power is closest to a pureblood. I suggest that you don't take me lightly", said the green haired vampire.

"I never take any of you bloodsuckers lightly. I only learn the methods to dispose you lots", Kaito changed his aim to the vampires but they were already looming above him at vampire speed.

"I specialize in paralyzing hunters. My utmost favorite past time but I rarely get the chance", the red haired one cockily snickered. His power was already in effect when the green haired vampire kicked the gun from Kaito's hand.

"Fortunately for you, we have to drag your ass back alive. Hunters like you hold valuable information about that peace loving bastard", said the green haired.

"You mean the fake prince", the other sneered.

"I don't care about who it is that you want to destroy but I am not as valuable as you would like to think. You give me too much credit", Kaito snapped warningly.

"Hm? Is that so? But, desperate man bluffs the most. Oh, well. The one that is going to question you is not us after all", the red haired said, clicking his tongue, "But, we can only give you darkness. Consider this a short term ecstasy". The green haired vampire pulled out a syringe and pressed the needle through the hunter's skin. Kaito watched with wide eyes as the syringe was emptied right before his eyes.

"He likes hunter's blood. He'll suck you dry after getting the information he wants", grinned the red haired vampire.

"You bastards", was the last word he uttered when his vision clouded.

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><p>Yuuki hadn't seen Zero the whole morning and he was also absent during the class time. The girl closed her book and she looked straight at Yori who was glancing at her in a puzzled expression. Her friend must have been worried about her adopted brother, no doubt about it and when Yuuki glanced everywhere high and low, she had a feeling that she would end up following her in her search for a missing Zero Kiryuu.<p>

"Let's go find Zero", said Yuuki determinedly.

"I'm sure he is just skipping lesson as usual", Yori said.

"But for him to not be here the whole day is unusual".

"Calm down and sit. The next lesson will start soon and your attendance is almost hitting the barring list requirement. You do want to sit for final, don't you?"

"Um, yes. But can't you cover for me, Yori-chan?"

"No, can't do", said Yori.

The female prefect sat down sulkily, crossing her arm as she stared straight ahead at the black board.

"Lately, Zero is suffering", she mumbled.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Yori, a slight concern mingled in her monotonous tone.

"I have… Something happened to him but I cannot tell you and that event has probably scarred him deeply. When I found him, he was already hurt. I don't know how to comfort him. I don't think I can ever will. But if I can find the culprit and punish for what he has done to Zero, I am sure he will feel better".

"That's a naïve way of thinking", Yori said, looking away from Yuuki.

"But he has too many scars. To release him from one will be merciful".

"I am not sure what happened to him but for people to be strong, we have to bear with the scars, not erase them. What Zero is facing now is probably more complicated than you think. We may be able to provide a temporary escapade for him but those scars will never go away. Once a scar, it can never be removed. Even if you eliminate the person who wound him".

"Then how can I heal his scars?"

Yori closed her eyes. "You can't but it is possible that one day, there will be a person who will bear the scars together with him".

"Ah, this is really bothering me!" Yuuki groaned, pressing her temple lightly.

"Do you love Zero enough to worry about him like this?" Yori asked gently.

"Of course I do. Maybe, I do love him more than I think". She had thought long enough, days even to sort her feelings towards the people around her. Who was Zero to her? And where would Kaname-sempai stand in her heart? Deciding that she could never measure whom she would love the most, she had long accepted the fact that both of them had crowned themselves as her most important people, the ones that she loved unconditionally.

"Then, everything will be fine. Your love to him will at least support him greatly. Well, we have quiz in the next lesson. Use your brain for that instead".

"What?" Yuuki cried. She had completely forgotten about the quiz. Oh, she would be in a deep trouble.

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><p>TBC.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p><em>Chapter 9: Couldn't lie<em>

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><p>It was the rising and the falling movement that woke the hunter up. His whole body was unmoving as if there was a boulder sitting on his back and slightly, just very slight, he regretted that his sleep could no longer be extended. Zero lifted his head, blinking with a blank face at the sight of another person's skin. If it wasn't for the flat chest, he would have thought he had ended up in a brothel with a woman. It then hit him. Shouldn't the sight of a flat chest that belonged to a man frighten him more? He remembered the evening he was… no, he pushed the thought in the back of his head. Zero lifted his gaze to see whom he had ended up in the same bed with. At the sight of Kaname in his glory, he blinked a few times with a straight face again and checked his own body. He was not stripped from any of his clothes except for the footwear. Concluding that nothing had happened, he got up on his feet gently, slipping into his only pair of vibrant blue sneakers.<p>

Kaname seemed to have noticed his movement when the pureblood cracked open his eyes and searched for Zero around the room. After being held hostage on the bed for the whole night, he finally found freedom and for that he was glad but he still wanted to ask the hunter about the 'snow queen'. Zero was already standing at the door but he didn't show any sign of leaving yet. He must have his own questions he would like to ask Kaname about or so Kaname would like to think. The pureblood grabbed his clothes and donned himself back into the pureblood prince he was. He too went to the door to join the hunter who was wishing that the pureblood would just continue to sleep until he left. Kaname mumbled his next inquiry softly but Zero heard him clearly, "There is something I would like to ask you. Will you join me for breakfast?"

"Don't bother", Zero replied but Kaname gave him a sharp glare at the hunter, a glare telling Zero that his invitation was an order from the pureblood prince. Zero hated to obey authority but he couldn't find it in himself to defy Kaname this early in the morning when he had just woke up from a good rest. He noticed another vampire leaning against the wall next to the door outside of the infirmary with his head drooping low. Aidou had guarded the entrance half of the night but he gave up on his guarding duty when sleep overtook his body. Kaname's presence alone had awakened the blond vampire out of his sleep, in which his face was struck with confusion later when he found himself not in his own bed. The noble straightened himself after arranging his thought of the previous night that had brought him to his current position and trailed Kaname to the lounge with Zero not too far behind.

"I will see both of you in the dining hall. Make yourself presentable", Kaname said. Zero made a 'tch' sound since having himself presentable was the last thing he would like to do on normal days but Kaname was right. He wouldn't want to taste the bitter remnants of his saliva while eating.

After the pureblood prince had left their company, Aidou weighed the options of bathrooms he had in hand. Takuma and Senri stayed in the furthest wing and although they would be kind enough to lend them the bathroom, the blond noble didn't feel like walking all the way to the duo's room. The girls, Ruka and Rima, would definitely kick them out for even mentioning the word 'bathroom'. Kain's room was the closest to the lounge and he was also the perfect target to bother in the morning. Since they used to be roommate, he was sure that Kain wouldn't mind to let him in.

The orange haired vampire answered the door immediately after the first knock as if he had known they were coming before they even reached the room.

"I can feel you from a distance, Hanabusa", Kain said, yawning widely.

"I can never hide from you, huh?" Hanabusa replied, bumping his shoulder with Kain's own playfully as he entered the room.

"You don't need to. We've known each other long enough to just know you are going to be here".

Zero waited outside of the door, unsure whether he should just enter or wait until he was called in. Aidou came out again after a few minutes and stared at him questioningly. "What?" the hunter was slightly annoyed at the expression Aidou was giving him.

"Are you going to stand there the whole day?" asked the noble mockingly. Zero huffed in annoyance and entered the room. He had been taught politeness which Aidou apparently was lacking of. He would only walk in if the host invited him to do so because he had at least a decent amount of manners. The blond noble had already found himself a pillow and made himself comfortable on the bed to sleep by the time Zero had all of his bathroom gears. Sleeping in the standing position had tired him out significantly. In a span of a night, he had experimented with a variety of postures that would make sleeping at the least bit comfortable, which none of the result were recorded. None of them had worked but some time through the night, he must have doze off without realizing it. He would need to redo his experiment to find the state where sleep was inevitable, maybe with another subject.

Kain had given Zero his additional clean dry towel, toothbrush and shave he had kept in his drawer. The hunter thanked him in an awkward manner with a slight hint of red shade on his face. He wasn't used to showing his gratitude to anyone and simple gestures had the worst effect on his reaction. After that, he just locked the door to the bathroom without exchanging another word. Leaving the hunter to his own private time, an amused Kain sat next to Aidou who was still half asleep.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hm? Why can't I be here?"

"Just asking".

"Well", the blond noble said in a drawled tone, "we are here to use your bathroom".

"That's not the answer I am looking for, idiot", Kain bumped his fist on the other's shoulder, "but since he is here too", Kain pointed at the closed bathroom door, "it must have been because Kaname-sama ordered for both of you to come here".

"Well", the blond drawled yet again, "19 out of 20 words in your statement are wrong. The only correct word is 'Kaname-sama'".

"I get it that you can't tell me".

"Good. Don't have to ask me anything then. I'm going to sleep while he takes his time in the shower".

It didn't take longer than two minutes for Aidou to fell asleep. Kain smiled. It had been quite a while since he had had Aidou in the room. Somehow, he missed having Aidou around. He hoped that whatever Kaname had in mind would not drag too long to keep his cousin away from him.

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><p>The breakfast was exquisite as expected from the night class chef. Half of the dishes were not even recognizable to a mere level E like him. If only they would treat the day class the same, then, he would not have another complain to add on his lengthy checklist. There were at least six different pairs of eating utensils on both side of the ceramic plate that was made from the highest quality material. The dining hall was dim; the intensity of the sunlight was filtered by the tinted glasses. Kaname sure had all the luxury in the world to enjoy just because of his name and title.<p>

The noble was nibbling on his food. His manners differed a lot than the time he was staying with Zero. Aidou took the pleasure to eat in the room while lying on his stomach and he didn't hold back when eating his food in the cafeteria like he was doing now. Zero looked over to Kaname whose dining act was a performance itself. The way he sat, the way he cut the food, the way he sipped the water, the way he brought the spoon to his lips; his movements were all graceful and formal. Zero had had enough staring that he started eating just as quietly.

Kaname brought the napkin to his mouth. Even the simple act was done with grace. His whole being was an epitome of royalty. His high rank was also a permanent label of his status being above the others. Even if the Kuran tried to be a nice average stud, his princely aura could never match the commoners.

The pureblood put down the napkin on the plate. He looked across the room to where Zero was sitting. He was waiting for the hunter to be done but Zero, after for so long being uneducated about table manners, began to speak out of discomfort of having someone looking at him.

"What is it that you want to ask me about?"

"We can discuss in my study. You are still eating and it would be rude if I start a conversation with you at the dining table".

"I can manage with you asking me question here. I am leaving after I am done with the food".

"If that is what you wish for". Kaname took the glass and shook it lightly.

"So, what is it?" asked Zero.

"I would like to ask you about Snow Queen", Kaname clarified his intention.

"Snow Queen? Am I here to answer a question that I will not be able to answer? I thought that only happen in exams", the hunter snorted.

"Kiryuu-kun, even if it is rather informal to discuss any matters here, I would like to have your sound cooperation".

"I cannot promise you my cooperation because I have no knowledge about this snow queen".

Kaname sighed and pushed his hair backwards. "You really like to test my patience, Kiryuu-kun. Why are you being so stubborn?"

"I am stubborn? You are the one who asked me a ridiculous question".

"You ARE lying!" Kaname snapped impatiently. The glass he had been holding shattered as his anger piqued.

"You think that pathetic demonstration will scare me?" Zero bluffed. He was scared. He just couldn't admit it because of his pride. Kaname shook his head. He was dealing with the most stubborn person he had known and he had to keep calm.

"Kiryuu-kun, if that word had not left your lips last night, I would have believed it when you said you know nothing. I have many leads pointing towards you. Snow Queen is your family sacred charm. There is no reason for you not to know about this".

"I hope that you remember I have spent my youth with Headmaster Cross", Zero said bitterly.

"And that also means you will never find time to stop by the Kiryuu's mansion? You could have used your mission time to do so. At least to learn a trick or two of your family's guarded spell", Kaname accused.

"Even if I did that, why does it matter to you?" Zero asked. He had made small visits to the site now and then during his mission time but he had never approach the building. It always pained him to think about how the mansion used to be his home. Then, the massacre happened to his family and the curse of the twin seethed into the reality he was living in now. He didn't have anyone else but himself. Kaname made it sound like visiting his family's graveyard ground was a threat to the world.

"It matters to the world. If you insist on holding on to the knowledge you have, I will have to take it from you forcefully".

"If you come any closer, I will -" the rest of the sentence hung in the air when Kaname suddenly appeared next to him. Zero instinctively grabbed a fork that was sharp enough to injure the pureblood but his attack was dodged easily. Kaname grabbed the hunter's head and tilted Zero's head to expose his neck. A flash of Shizuka's image entered the hunter's mind as Kaname sunk his teeth brashly. Painful moan escaped the hunter's lips as he was paralyzed mentally.

At that moment, Zero realized that he had so many things to hide. Kaname would see all of his painful memories. Kaname would surely shower him with pity after discovering Zero's past. What he saw, what he felt; he would be stripped naked to the pureblood's eyes.

"No", he trembled. Kaname pulled out his deepest memories from his mind and all he could do was just let it to happen.

All of it for the _'snow queen'_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything though I have to create this other OC for the plot sake. **

**Chapter 10: Layout of the Mind**

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><p>"Stay away, Ichiru!" a distant voice called callously. Underneath a tree, Shizuka Hio, now was a fragment of the past, sat watching the other child who shared Zero's genetic makeup and he was looking back with subtle fascination. The word "vampire" kept repeating in a distant, spoken in the child's voice, but there was no sight of the person who was speaking it. It wasn't hard to guess whom the voice belonged to even though the timbre was younger. The rationale was Zero wouldn't be able to see himself unless there was a reflection of his being and thus explained the absence of his physical body in the current image the pureblood was looking at. Even at young age, the hatred towards vampire was already rooting deep in his heart with the way he was trying to keep his brother away from Shizuka. He must have triggered the memory first because of his biting action itself.<p>

Next preview was the massacre, the infamous tragic incident in the hunter's community. To be the one witnessing the killing as a child, it must have left an unhealed scar in Zero's past. This pain, Kaname was familiar with because it was the pain he saw in the hunter's eyes on every encounter they had. Then Yuuki came into the picture when Zero took resident at Cross' home. Yuuki's word empathizing Zero's loss, the words that she uttered to comfort Zero to show that she too shared the same hatred as Zero with Kaname as her only exception must have created acceptance reserved for the girl alone. Zero had no place for vampires at all in his heart which explained his treatment to Kaname. His hatred gorged so deep that Kaname could feel how strong the hatred was targeted at him when he was this close to the hunter. For all he knew, the hunter's memories must have been filled with direct hatred towards his kind that had pertained Zero's hostility in his present time.

Kaname witnessed the scene changes episode by episode. He now understood that Zero had never had fond memories that would change his perspective towards vampire. And Kaname who responded to Zero's hatred just as equally was also responsible of the buildup of the negative feeling. He had his own episodes where he would hurt the hunter, mentally and physically, thinking that Zero's hatred towards the vampires was unjustified, blaming it all on Zero's hunter background. Every movement Zero made on Yuuki, he viewed it as attempt to assault Yuuki. That he blamed on Zero's level E predicament. Now, he knew otherwise, a change in his attitude had already taken its own form. Kinder and kinder, that was how his treatment was going to be towards Zero.

_Once you know the truth, you truly will behave in respect to that change, _the pureblood mused.

While the memories created that feeling of sympathy, they were not the ones that the pureblood was after.

"Show me Snow Queen", he mumbled softly in the crook of Zero's neck. The hunter winced at the pain when Kaname withdrew his fangs to speak before piercing the skin back at the same spot, this time more carefully.

"You will never believe me, won't you?" Zero said quietly as a lone tear trailed down his cheek at the unwanted flash of images filling his head. He felt only resentment towards Kaname for being selfish in his approach to learn something.

Kaname pulled Zero's closer. He needed to probe deeper. He needed to find what he needed to know. To do this, he needed Zero to reveal the memory related to Snow Queen. "Come clean with me, Kiryuu-kun. I will not hurt you if you do".

"Didn't I tell you I know nothing", Zero's clutched the pureblood's shirt. "Didn't I tell you?" he repeated angrily with a louder volume. His mind abruptly became fuzzy which startled Zero and the room's temperature dropped. In Zero's viewpoint, the room was the one that grew cold but in Kaname's viewpoint, the hunter was the one losing his body heat. Counting this time, it would be the fourth occurrences. Even with the changes and his realization that he could not let Zero bear with the cold, he didn't halt in his search through Zero's memories.

"Why is the room cold?" for the first time, Zero had asked the question when he was conscious. Kaname ceased to answer; he had a hunch that he was getting closer to what he was looking for when this odd occurrence happened. In response to Zero's strange condition, the collection of the memories had also become rather strange. The memories afterwards were fogged as if something was trying to keep him away from coming closer. Memories cannot be covered with fog of this intensity; no one can intentionally create a fog to keep his memories away. Sure there were cases where someone would hide what they remembered deep in his mind but he would still be able to access easily. He wouldn't be surprised if this fog was a resultant from a spell.

Kaname stumbled in the memory lane when he heard a traumatic scream in the distant. The pureblood had almost let go of his bite when the terrified scream amplified loudly into his own mind. The screams were coming from every direction and it was difficult for him to pinpoint where the image was hidden exactly. He sunk his teeth a little deeper and drew a bit of blood to help him focus more on his search. Underneath him, Zero was trembling due to both cold and fear and if Kaname had looked into Zero's eyes, he would notice how the hunter's iris had dilated and how his lips wouldn't stop quivering.

The fog started to become less dense after a while and Kaname was extremely shocked at what he discovered. The voice and the sound of a body falling became clearer and Kaname saw a face that resembled Zero staring back at him, whom he could only assume was the boy he had seen earlier; Zero's previously deceased brother. The other man's face was disfigured and by the way he was moving and licking his lips, Kaname knew he had brought to surface a memory one would wish to forget. He could hear Zero's voice begging the other man to stop his carnal lust in the memory. And the reply the hunter received in his muddled and fragile state of mind was a disturbing declaration of "_I love you, nii-san. I want to conquer you. Your soul is mine and your life belongs to me, your Snow Queen. Knowing this, you must surrender because I will not lose this time_". The staging was vivid after the fog finally disappeared and Kaname was shaken by Zero's pushing on his chest while heaving in heavy pants.

"Get off me, you bastard", Zero struggled to push Kaname off him but enduring the coldness had made his body rather weak and sluggish. Kaname grabbed the hunter's arms and locked them to stop the struggling. He had to go through this or otherwise, he would never be able to find out about the spell.

When the defilement scene ended, another scene replaced and it was a collection of involuntary events of Zero gazing at the painting "Ice Princess" in the boy's dormitory. Most of the time, it was just the hunter admiring the painting but the desperate longing seeped through every inch of Zero's being that his head was only filled with his _'Snow Queen'_. Kaname couldn't ignore Zero's longing he had momentarily felt as he extracted the memory. On an occasion, the teenager had even used the painting as his jerking off material in the dead of the night but Kaname had another hunch that Zero didn't remember any of it. He figured that what he was seeing now was the memory of things that happened out of Zero's bodily control. Otherwise, it wouldn't be covered by fog. The pureblood unlatched his fangs once he thought he shouldn't carry on anymore and touched Zero's cheek apologetically. Releasing Zero's arms, he studied the blank face Zero had put on.

"I am sorry", he said quietly but his words didn't get through Zero who looked in the distant, clutching tightly to Kaname's coat when his hands found their way there. The pureblood could finally understand the situation better and even if he hadn't seen everything, he could retract his accusations towards the hunter. The one that had been victimized by the spell was the hunter. The one that cast it was Ichiru. Ichiru, previously thought as dead, was still among the living. He would have to analyze these facts and the prophecy once he was done dealing with the hunter.

"Kiryuu-kun?" he called for the hunter but Zero didn't response. He was motionless like a manikin, causing unease to surface on the pureblood's face. "I'm cold and lonely", the hunter said in a low voice after a long silence, "I want to go back to my only home".

At first, Kaname thought the hunter was referencing to the mansion but he was proven wrong when Zero suddenly stood up and gazed outside of the window of the dining hall only to say, "It's a far away journey to the snow castle. I want to see my queen soon but will I ever?" while spacing out in the bright morning.

"I feel cold here", the hunter clutched his shirt where his heart was. "My queen is out there. I have to go back. My body will be numb by this coldness if I don't find my way to her soon. The snowflakes, oh, they are so beautiful. I want to see my queen soon". He trembled and hugged himself to find warmth.

The young hunter found it impossible to stand upright anymore that he collapsed on his knee, letting out a longing moan. His cry was loud and desperate as if he was lost in a melancholic notion. He lost his consciousness soon after his body gave out from the extremely low temperature.

"Hanabusa", Kaname had not forgotten about the noble who was watching the whole production silently. "Whatever you saw just now, please keep it to yourself".

"Um, Kaname-sama, am I allowed asking Kiryuu about this later? I am rather curious about his condition actually".

Kaname gave him a pointed glare. "Okay, maybe not", the noble stood up and decided to nurse Zero instead. Due to the leash spell, he could not be separated from the hunter or he would risk pain on his thumb. He touched the hunter's hand. The cold skin sent a goose bump running down his spine that he pulled away quickly.

"He's still rather cold", said Aidou, relinquishing himself from his coat to put over the hunter.

"Carry him to my bedroom", was what the pureblood ordered his underling to do. The blond noble obeyed and carried the hunter over his shoulder. He might be small but he had the strength of an ox and still he had to admit that Zero was quite heavy. He tried to erase what he saw from his mind. He didn't know what to feel when he saw two enemies having close contact that was almost intimate. Not that he could ever spout his confusion to Kaname's face or he would be asking for a slap from Kaname for being nosy. He just had to swallow the information and just forget. Simple as that.

* * *

><p>He was high but slowly, he was regaining the ambience of his surroundings. He was a chuckling mess the whole time he was transported to a new location by the two vampires and it was so embarrassing that Kaito wanted to erase the memory forever. Feeling jittery while bearing a headache as his mind cleared, Kaito tried to focus his sight on the object in front of him. No, it wasn't an object he was staring at. A strong alarming urge to run away hit the Takamiya and coupled with his destructive headache had caused the hunter to hurl on his side.<p>

"Welcome back to earth, Hunter-san", the being in front of him spoke with mirth.

"I don't need that kind of greeting", Kaito wavered in his attempt to sit up.

"Well, I am being rather nice considering that you have just soil my precious tile", replied the other.

"Who gives a damn?" the hunter mumbled under his breath grumpily. Whoever this being was, Kaito wanted to get away from him. He heard clanking sound and around his feet, he saw the source of the noise: an iron cuff around his left ankle.

"What the fuck?" he cursed angrily, tugging at the chain with his hand.

"Oh, I don't like it when my property has such a foul mouth. We have a lot to learn, don't we?"

"Pr- What are you jabbering about?" Kaito looked up in confusion. He took a good look at the being in front of him. The perfect porcelain face of a haughty aristocrat with well kempt short black hair entered his vision. Black eyes with epicanthic folds stared back at him sharply and from the intense prickly feeling he was having, Kaito was sure he was looking at another pureblood vampire. Previously, the same sensation was experienced when Kaname was within his vicinity. To think that the purebloods in the academy were not the only ones in the world made him believed that with wrong provocation, the world will end in the hands of the bloodsuckers.

"Who are you?" the hunter spoke in a venomous tone. The pureblood closed his eyes, rubbing his two fingers together as he sat calmly in his chair.

"I am Reo Hanadagi. Nice to meet you", Reo said, smirking at the light chestnut haired hunter. All the while, Kaito could only think of one thing. He searched for his gun but he would be stupid to think that Reo hadn't discarded it away. Kaito scooted further into the shadow since the chain was long enough for him to be out of the pureblood's reach. Reo might seem friendly but the air surrounding him was in fact contradicting his tone and mannerism.

"Why are you hiding in the corner, hunter-san? Shouldn't you be giving a proper introduction? I have told you my name. It is only fair that you share yours too".

"Not until I have you killed", Kaito responded threateningly.

"What a feisty puppy you are, hunter-san. I only want to be nice to you. I like to play fair so you can ask me questions while I ask mine. Of course, I'd like to do so while knowing your name". Reo curled his thumb and tucked it underneath his index finger, making a suggestive motion by pulling and pushing the thumb forward and backward.

"You have one sick hobby, you psycho".

"Oh, that I am aware of. Of course, I like to indulge myself with blood too. Hunter's blood taste heavenly".

The pureblood licked his lips and stared eagerly at the hunter hiding in the shadow. He liked Kaito's face very much and he intended to keep the hunter around a little longer than the other hunters he had killed. With Kaito's aggressive attitude, he would surely have a lot of entertaining time extorting information about the Kuran.

"How many of them have you killed?" Kaito asked dangerously, referring to the hunters the pureblood had killed.

"Uncountable! It's impressive actually. I thought your headquarters would keep tab on their employee's deaths. But I guess the soldiers meant so little to the rook, queen and king".

"We are not just mere soldiers. We are serving for the life of others".

"Well, I am meddling to save the monarch family's ending. I hardly think common people have any values other than mere livestock for us. More prominently, I was rudely awakened from my deep slumber because a strong killing intent on my life was whispering from afar. The pureblood prince seems to yearn for my head and to think that he desires to kill another monarch of the old clan. Tch. Tch".

"Then, it is for the better, isn't it?" For the first time, Kaito felt the need to support Kaname's goal.

"Hm, if violent is a solution, even on another pureblood, my action to enjoy the life I am currently given is vindicated. Really, this hunter breed is very new to me since I have been in hibernation for so long. To think that their blood will be rather different is just… unthinkable. The last hunter they had sent to trail me was an old coot. I lost interest from looking at the wise face so I ended his misery quickly. At least they are sending to me a better looking prey this time", Reo's smirk tightened in amusement. He walked steadily in a proud posture towards Kaito who was ready to choke the pureblood.

"Ah, you don't have to be so tensed. We'll have some fun while I do the interrogation".

* * *

><p>TBC...<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: It's been a while... XD**

Chapter 11: Harmonizing the troubles

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><p>It was a hot and scorching Sunday afternoon but the huge numbers of the visitors going in and out of the old castle wasn't perturbed. Surrounding the Hanadagi's castle were the residential and a market full with the buzzes of businesses being carried out by the local human. In the area untouched by Kuran's influence, the government body was fully controlled by the vampires and though this was the case, human and vampire could still tolerate each other. The law catered to no one and yet just, evading conflict altogether that could occur between the two races.<p>

Harumi Jun, the read haired vampire who was Kaito's capturer, stood under the shed in await for his chauffeur. A celebration that would be held later at night to introduce Hanadagi back into the society was in due and every important members of the castle was busy handling tasks allocated to them. For him too, the event preparation had not escaped him. To get in touch with the other members of the court was his task and each of them would like to at least serve him a cup of tea and dessert while they talked about the celebration's program and their reserved box to watch the ongoing ceremony. When he finally left the mansion of the last member on the list, Harumi called his driver to pick him up but it had been thirty minutes since then and he was still waiting for any sign of a approaching car. He was feeling irritated by the minutes as he continued to keep an open eye for his chauffeur.

His patience was reaching the limit when the black limousine finally pulled through. The driver came out and opened the door for him. He entered the car and was surprised that his journey was joined by his green haired companion, Akito Kyoshiro-dono.

"Well, this explains it".

"Hm?"

"My chauffeur lateness, I mean. Good afternoon, Kyoshiro-dono. How is the preparation in the castle going?" asked Harumi. The weather was surely testing his tolerance to heat today. He discarded his jacket and loosened his necktie in the attempt to cool his body.

"It is going smoothly under my supervision. The meetings with the members of the court are going well too, I presume?" Akito replied politely.

"Yes but they have an unnecessary habit of serving too much dessert", said Jun, wincing when he thought of the things that he had to force down in the name of respect. Too many delicacies could spell a futuristic trouble. He hoped he wouldn't upset his stomach for tonight's event.

"Ah, isn't that a good thing?"

"I find it not as compelling as you do. What about you? Why are you not within the castle ground?" asked Harumi.

"I have just returned from the royal watchers guarding point".

"Guarding point? Why were you at the guarding point?" asked Harumi.

"Ah, I have to inform the guards that we will be receiving an honorable guest and his respectable guards tonight. It would not do if chaos raided the celebratory mood".

It piqued Harumi's interest to know who the invited guest was. The Hanadagi rarely received anyone in their precinct due to their lack of interest wanting to get to know with outside group and it must have been important for their leader to go as far as inviting someone from outside.

"Who could the guest be, I wonder?" asked Harumi, not hiding his curiosity that was evident on his face.

"The man who runs the Vampire Council, Asato Ichijou will be joining us tonight", said Akito with his sight pined on the checklist. A three quarter of the list had been completed and some just needed a few final touch ups. The remaining jobs were a simple instruction from the head of Hanadagi to serve the 1890's wine bottle which he must delivered to the castle's head of chef and a few other simple tasks that would take no longer than five minutes to complete.

"Ah, Ichijou-dono is the one we are expecting but…Ichijou-dono and Hanadagi-sama are not acquainted".

"That is indeed the case but we cannot ignore him when he has something that we need. He is here to discuss matters regarding to the items we must collect for Kiryuu-kun. In fact, in a day's course, we will be meeting with Kiryuu-kun again. We'd have to prepare our end of the deal for the exchange of the great Vampire tome".

"Ah, I see. I see", the red haired nodded in understanding, thinking of the meeting they had with Ichiru Kiryuu. It was their first time to meet face to face with the young man and just from that one meeting, he could tell that Kiryuu-san was in a hurry. Why was he in a hurry, Harumi wondered... However they, on the Hanadagi's side were only interested in the exchange. Usually they would probe another dealers' background but Kiryuu had warned them when the first time he wrote to them about the Vampire Tome that his personal life would remain outside of the arrangement. It was difficult to trust the man for the exchange in return for the tome were rare sealed gems. Those rare gems were kept by different Pureblood families and he guessed that one of them must have entered the Ichijou's possession somehow. If Hanadagi-sama proposed a good deal, one of the rare gems would be theirs.

The castle's main gate loomed above them and when the grandeur entrance was released from its lock, the driver slowed down as he drove into the front entrance driveway. It was at the drop off point when the two companions had to split to complete their own tasks.

"I will be reporting the attendances to Hanadagi-sama. We will part ways here", said Harumi.

"I hope to see you later in the ballroom".

"Certainly", the red haired answered.

Diverging roads to the end product were taken and the two nobles were back into their authority mode. Seven more hours till the celebration.

* * *

><p>Kaito had a situation and the dire need to get up and run was eating his consciousness. There was a problem with that notion though. No matter how much he wished to escape, it was impossible for him when he was underneath the vampire who had taken the liberty to sit on top of him, locking his waist from any movement.<p>

"For your information, I don't pitch for the same team. I don't think I could ever get it up with any man", Kaito mockingly shot his words at Reo, hoping to irritate the said Pureblood.

The Hanadagi was not faltered by the uncaring front Kaito was putting on. Instead of crushing the neck of the said hunter, he returned a smirk and leaned next to Kaito's ear to whisper, "I don't care if you can get _it_ up or not. That is your own problem. What I care is my own pleasure as well as the information on Kuran lowlife".

"Guh, shit!" Kaito grunted and used his free hands to throw the Pureblood off him in his desperation to get away from the Pureblood. He scurried away to the other corner, watching the Pureblood's movement carefully to make sure he didn't make any opening for the vampire to pin him down again.

"Ah, your averseness will only make the consequence more painful", Reo warned in a joking manner. The Hanadagi was ready to pin him down him again but Kaito was saved by the bell when a knock resounded on the door. Kaito sighed in relief when the vampire who was responsible for his misery entered the room after being answered by an annoyed pureblood.

"Hanadagi-sama", greeted Harumi respectfully.

"What is it?" the pureblood asked collectedly. His subordinate had really picked the worst timing to see him. As much as he would like to proceed with lusting over the hunter for both his blood and body, he was bound to his ruler's obligations. The Hanadagi gave a once over at the Takamiya and led his subordinate away to his study but not without locking the captive's room.

Kaito sat down and leaned against the wall. He was thankful of the sudden disruption to his cat and mouse chase. He carefully observed the room and tugged once again at the cuff to test its form. After a few tugs, he managed to confirm that the cuff was just iron based and didn't have magic cast on it. He mentally slapped himself for not realizing it sooner or he would have unchained himself with a charm and made a run for the door. However, having the Pureblood out of sight placed him in an advantageous situation since he could now escape without alerting anyone.

There was an opening to the air vent on the ceiling and he jumped to grab the edge of the vent since the ceiling was low after breaking the chain. He pulled his body up and entered the air vent as quietly as possible. There was enough room for him to crawl albeit he had to be careful to not alert anyone. The hunter made his way to the front, crawling aimlessly to find an entrance. When he passed another opening,he risked himself by jumping down from the vent and he quickly hid himself behind a curtain when he heard footsteps approaching his way.

A guard walked past him without realizing his presence since Kaito took a good care to suppress his presence. Once the guard left the vicinity, he was on the move again to find the entrance. Kaito looked around for any possible escape route but when he couldn't make an escape without alerting someone he walked close to an object big enough to hide him. The windows had a charm that would alert intruders or escapees. His only way to escape silently was through a door , kitchen door, front door... any doors. He jogged down the corridor and when he heard another set of footsteps, he went into the first room that was unlocked and hid inside.

It was a dark and damp room. Kaito leaned to hear any sound indicating whether the guard was out of proximity or not. He heard a conversation taking place right in front of the door and he eavesdropped.

"Eh, we're on duty here again for the rest of the night".

"I hate to guard in front of this room. It gives me a bad vibe".

"Oh, I can feel it too. If it isn't because it's a duty, I would have preferred the front gate over this room".

"Me too".

It didn't seem like the two guards would be leaving the front door anytime. Kaito speculated on his next plan. Get out from this room and attacked the two guards or find another exit that may exist in the room? He opted to try his luck than to take the risk. He wouldn't be able to escape far by attacking the guards if he was still within the castle's precinct (Yes, he did learn that he was in a castle area). He was after all up against a few nobles with annoying abilities and a perverted pureblood.

Kaito carefully made his way around the room by pressing his back against the wall. When he felt that there was an obstacle blocking his way (presumably something like a cabinet), he followed the arrangement until he was met again with blocking furniture.

"It doesn't seem that there would be an exit in this room. Maybe I should just wait for the next guards change and escape". However, he knew that time was being wasted the longer he waited. He was preoccupied with his thoughts for the next best action when he picked on another set of footsteps that was lighter than the guards. Kaito forced himself to squeeze in between the openings in between two bookshelves, praying that it would provide enough invisibility between him and the approaching threat.

"Sir Kyoshiro!" the two guards saluted loudly and a thread of light invaded the darkness before it disappeared again when the door was closed. Kaito pressed himself deeper in the gap but at the same time, trying to listen to the sound made by the vampire inside the room. He heard ruffling noises of the book pages and he sighed in relief when Kyoshiro departed from the room. His relief was cut short when the door was opened again and this time, he was even more tensed when he heard the name of the men saluted.

"King Hanadagi and Sir Jun!"

_"Shit, why are they here?"_ The hunter cursed in his head. The hunter held his breath when he heard the footstep approaching closer.

"Ah, it has been a while since I was here", the Pureblood spoke in admiration of the room.

"Hanadagi-sama, would you like me to repeat the agenda of the ceremony?"

"I remember it clearly, Jun. Do not fret if I made a mistake because I never make a mistake. Kuran bastard will be missing my introductory ceremony. Such a pity. We used to be best friends".

"We should meet the designers to find you your best ceremonial suit. They are waiting in the changing room, Hanadagi-sama".

Kaito fidgeted soundlessly while praying that Hanadagi would just follow his subordinate and left the room. He didn't however brush away the new knowledge that there would be a ceremony going on that night. It would make his escape easier when he was surrounded by a huge crowd.

"I still have time to ruminate over the past. You are dismissed."

"Hanadagi-sama, it would be best if we decide on the suit for tonight's ceremony".

"An hour. Let me ruminate for an hour".

"Hanadagi-sama, I would like to remind you that we will be having the Vampire Council member as our guest tonight".

"Another hour. Leave my audience, Jun", Reo's voice toned down, giving the cold chill to vibe in the room.

"Hanadagi-sama…"

"Do not make me repeat what I just said".

Harumi bowed at the persistence and left the room. Kaito felt cold sweat broke on his skin as he heard the sound of the door closing. The light brunette hunter looked around frantically for another place to hide. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness for a while now and when he saw a grilled opening to the air vent just above a bookshelf, he calculated the length of time needed to make a smooth escape out of the room. Three minutes and it would be a successful escape if it went smoothly.

"This room holds a lot of information", Reo's voice was now dictating the silence. "Historical, legends, facts, medicine… everything is here. The truth about the Great War is also here. I just have to find the tag and there will I find the answer".

"…" Kaito silently tip toed to the bookshelf.

"Ah, here it is". He heard the sound of the pages being ruffled.

"…" the hunter grabbed hold on the side of the bookshelf and jumped upwards softly. With the air vent in his reach, he grabbed hold onto both side and whispered a charm to undo the screws. _Pop_. He cursed when one of the screws fell down onto the floor. Hanadagi didn't ignore the sound either. The vampire looked around and in the darkness; he spotted a figure kneeling on top of the shelf.

"I wasn't aware that there was an intruder", he made a hand movement to pull the 'shadow' person towards him. Kaito's eyes widely opened in shock when his body was moved. The pureblood grabbed his collar and when he saw the face of the intruder, his own face changed to the one close to amusement.

"Why, if it isn't the hunter! How do you get out from your cage?" The latter was spoken in a grimly tone.

Kaito gulped. The future was looking bleak and he wondered if he'd ever got out from the castle alive. "Shit", was all he could mutter in the midst of the circumstance he was in right then.

* * *

><p>Yuki had gone to town without a company. She had tried to reach Kaname or Zero but neither of them was available at the moment. Although her errand could wait till a later date, she still opted to go alone. While walking down the shop lots, she saw a man with a peculiar smile looking at her. The man's face was disfigured and he had the same hair color as Zero. Yuki couldn't see his eyes because of the dark glasses but she could feel his stare locking onto her being. She debated whether to approach the man herself and in the end, she decided that it was better to leave him alone.<p>

Yuuki walked into the dress boutique next to a Pizza stall, in which the bell went 'ding' when the door slid open and took the opportunity to observe the man's movement from inside while pretending to look at the row of dresses hanging in the SALE selection that was close to the window. "He's still looking at me", she whispered while pushing the hangers along the rail. When she was greeted by the shop assistant, Yuuki smiled and explained to her that she had yet to choose a dress she liked. She returned her gaze back to where the man _was_ standing and sniffed in displeasure when the man was no longer there.

"What a creepy man", she muttered and picked a red vintage summer dress to try it on, unaware that the man had already entered the shop. It was not until she was inside the changing room that she heard a voice scoffed from outside.

"You have a beautiful body, Cross-chan. I could only feel envy".

Yuuki grabbed hold onto her shirt and covered her front. She peeked from behind the curtain and yelped when she saw the man standing next to her changing room's door. "What are you doing?" she cried.

"Don't worry. I do not intend to defile your innocence".

"Wh- you're being rather rude to walk into a girl's changing room like this".

"That is a minor detail. What's more important is the reason why I am here".

"What do you want from me?" asked Yuuki.

The man clicked his tongue and folded his arms. The next thing he uttered sent chills down the female prefect's spine.

"I want you to give me Zero".

-TBC-


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I had been very busy with my intern that my update will be slow... Sorry for the wait. XD**

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><p>Chapter 12: Clouding the eyes<p>

* * *

><p>At first, the request sounded petty to her ears. <em>Give me Zero, give me Zero<em>... Yuuki could only put up a shocked expression with her lips slightly parted. As the request kept going on in her head, her eyebrows slowly knitted narrower and narrower until her face completed the frowning manifestation.

Ridiculous. Why would she hand over someone who was not even in her grasp? However, to admit that was a difficult action in itself and she locked her eyes with the pair of lavender orbs with slight irritation.

"First of all, Zero is very much a living person. He is not a thing to be traded. I'm sure _giving_ falls in the category", her firm voice showed that she had no intention in allowing the other to even believe a human's life can be traded easily.

"Secondly, stay away from Zero", her warning came sharply, promising pain if it was not heed to.

"Oh, what a good expression you're having there!" the stranger snickered. Waving his hand in dismissal, he turned towards the exit of the changing room, "but you know… I am determined this time", he said loud enough for Yuuki to hear.

"Determined of what?" Yuuki asked while still feeling wary of him.

"Ah, I thought I have made my intention clear earlier or do you need more hint?" the man scoffed. Yuuki growled throatily. There was a strong urge to decapitate the man in front of him pitting in her stomach and she almost acted on it. The other must have sensed the intent and decisively made his way out before anything unplanned could happen. For a while then, her eyes trailed after the man until he disappeared and once he was gone, she breathed in deeply to calm herself down.

"What am I doing, threatening a stranger like that? I am not as strong as Zero or as powerful as Kaname-sama", she sighed, scolding herself for following her instinct too much. She lost the mood to try the dress on, changed into her casual and kept it at the cloth line where the customer can leave the tried-out garments. The voices thanking her disappeared the moment she was out from the shop and she casted her gaze at the sky.

The request was real and the man was determined. The only way for her to protect Zero was to tell the hunter upfront or have Kaname-sama protect him. Zero wouldn't listen and thus, her only choice was to confront the Vampire Prince and asked him for his help.

The female prefect strode on to the academy ground where she politely thanked the guard who opened the gate for her and she walked further in to the Night Class dormitory. By the time she reached there, it was already evening. At the dormitory, she met with Ichijou who was reading his manga next to a window and was lost in his fantasy world.

He sensed her presence and greeted her with a friendly smile. "Good evening, Yuuki. What brings you here? Are you looking for Kaname-sama?" he asked.

"Um, yes. Is he here?" asked the female prefect.

"Well, yes. I think he is inside in his study. Come in. You can wait at the hall while I get him", said Ichijou. They walked into the hall and after announcing that he would be back soon with Kaname, he went to the pureblood's study to inform Yuuki's visit. Yuuki fidgeted in her seat and looked around at the fancy decoration. Sure, the day class had quite a fancy interior too but it wasn't as royal as the Night Class' theme. When she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, she looked up at the flight of stairs where Kaname and Ichijou were appearing on.

"Good evening, Yuuki", said Kaname, bowing his head slightly.

"Um, good evening, Kaname-sama. How are you doing?" speaking to Kaname made her a nervous goo. With the beauty incomparable to any earthly being, even Yuuki found it hard to speak normally. It was suffocating enough that the Night Class was filled with gorgeous beings and to have a close contact like this with the pureblood himself, she was surprised how she could still stand straight.

"I'm faring well but you look upset, my dear", Kaname patted her head gently. Yuuki closed her eyes, savoring the kindness Kaname was showering her with. The gentle hands always affirmed her adoration to Kaname was not a mistake and she held the same adoration for Zero too where the warmth she seek lied in his aversion. That was why, she would never let someone else treated Zero like an object, something that can be given away or retrieved.

"Kaname-sama", Kaname winced a little at the honorific. He looked at the girl, studying her face closely and she looked like she was on the verge of crying. With a puzzled expression, he pulled his hand back and led the girl to the couch where they sat next to each other with Ichijou standing by at the stairs to act on Kaname's command.

"Kaname-sama", she called him again softly, "I am feeling miserable".

"Yuuki, if there's anything you want to help with, you can tell me", the pureblood prince sought gently.

"This is about Zero", she said, her eyes glossed with restrained tears. Kaname sighed since he too was having his hands full of the very same ex-human. For Yuuki to be here to talk about the hunter, it must have been because she found out about the hunter's condition. Kaname reflected on the morning Zero had fallen into the depth of the mist shrouding his consciousness. The moment they were in his chamber, he had spent the next two hours trying to return the warmth back in Zero's body but in the two hours, he had only able to return Zero's body warmth while his mind was completely taken over by the fog. Kaname had connected their minds together again and he wandered aimlessly to find any point of consciousness that would help him pulled Zero back but he couldn't see anything in the thick fog. Zero had lost himself in the depth of the coldness that even the pureblood prince's stretched hands could not save him. It was almost as if his current self was not enough to take the hunter's back.

"Kaname-sama", Yuuki called out again when she saw how lost Kaname was in his own thought.

"I apologize, Yuuki. My mind seems to wander off. Please, Yuuki. If there is something that you need from me regardless whom, you may seek for my help. All I need to know is what has been bothering my dear Yuuki", Kaname said.

"Zero is in danger. That's why I need your help", said Yuuki.

"Kiryuu-kun is safe with us for now, Yuuki".

"No, Kaname-sama. Zero is in danger. There is this strange man asking me to give Zero over to him". Kaname was relieved that Yuuki had not come to him with knowledge of Zero's current condition but at the same time, for her to bring news about a threat he had never expected, he knew what she had just delivered should not be taken lightly. But what battle plan there was for him to use? He didn't even fully grasped the essence of this enemy.

"The man, tell me how he looked like", Kaname inquired.

"Like Zero but with longer hair and disfigured face", she described the physique briefly. However, that was all the pureblood needed to know from her. Zero's younger brother was definitely alive and was becoming a threat.

"Yuuki, I will help Kiryuu-kun. You may feel at ease", he made a promise.

"Kaname-sama, thank you", a lone tears trailed down her cheek. His words gave comfort to her worrying heart that she could not help but to feel touched. She would not allow it; she wanted the strange person to be apprehended and locked away from Zero. Even though she knew Zero was capable of protecting himself but to know that he would never be harmed under the protection of Kaname Kuran, she could only feel at ease.

"Thank you", she repeated this time more like a whisper that was meant to comfort her.

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><p>Kaname entered Zero's temporary bedroom where he watched silently over the hunter who was just gazing outside of the window blankly. It was almost as if he was deaf to the world, his soul probably lingering far away from the academy. Zero hadn't even snapped at him once or neither did he turn his head to anyone who entered the room. Despite the flooding happiness of the season even at night, the spring inside the room had never arrived. It was as if the inside was fully confined by the cold weather, almost like wintry season had invaded the lair.<p>

"Kiryuu-kun", Kaname spoke, trying to get the hunter's attention but no response was uttered.

The neglected dinner consisting of mainly seafood had grown cold for a while now. He was told by Seirin that even Zero's lunch was forgotten. Kaname's weight sunk on the bed and he touched the shoulder of the hunter who turned to look at him with just the same blank gaze. Kaname had never thought that one day, the fierce eyes would be lifeless and he shuddered at the change. He couldn't explain it but right now, even a strand of hate in the lavender eyes would make him feel better.

"Kiryuu-kun, please eat. Your body will become weaker without proper diet", Kaname picked up the plate, offering the food to Zero. The hunter turned away back to see the view outside the window which he felt nothing for. There was only coldness that he wanted to return to and for some reason, he could only wait until somebody come and spirited him away.

Kaname had always been turned down rudely by Zero no matter what he offered, be it good or bad, but he laughed in a slight sadness in comparison to now and then because those times when his actions were rejected, where they hurt each other out of misconceptions, Zero was still… Zero. The person who was sitting silently on the bed now was empty. Thinking of this made his heart throbbed a little and he couldn't understand the meaning of the pain at all. How could he when all this time, he could only feel hate for the hunter? Right now, he could only understand Zero's viewpoints and still, he wished that he had known earlier.

"I'll leave the plate here for you. I will let the headmaster know about our condition tomorrow. There's no point in concealing a situation like this". Kaname got up and put down the plate on the side table. He turned his back to Zero, the same way Zero was turning his back to him.

"Kiryuu-kun", he whispered before leaving for the meeting with the representatives, "I will bring you back".

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><p><em> Two full moons later, the one feared most by the vampire ruler will rise again from the afterlife, melting away the ice of one most deeply slumbered and the snow queen would lie in her death bed, bathing in her own blood. One that is melted away will fall into darkness; thy would see in the blind eyes smeared with swollen sadness, anger and desperation. Should they merged, the one feared by the vampire ruler and the slave of the snow queen, our land would turn into an arid one no one had ever seen. For this blood should never be awaken because it isn't the truth.<em>

The prophecy that had taken root was now approaching the third quarter of the first moon. To those who was aware of it, anxiety from deep within their self could not be kept at bay anymore. The councils of various races gathered once again at the round table, each could not kept their restlessness hidden.

"This is the end of us", they said, "the world will not be able to withstand the calamity", they said, "I have to pack and hide", they said, "we'll be ready with the weapons", they said. All in the panicking tones albeit controlled. Kaname was growing tired of the ruckus too. Other than the representative of the hunter's association and himself, the representatives couldn't seem to calm down. The prince became irritated and he banged the gavel loud enough to silence the people.

"Please calm down and sit, my fellow representatives", he said warily.

"Kuran-sama, this is a matter that has to be taken care off immediately. We have to find a defensive stance if we could not stop it from happening", said the human representative.

"I am aware that a counter-measure is necessary but do not forget that we have to try stopping the prophecy first. I would like to hear the report of your findings. Let's start from the vampire side".

The representative of the vampires stood up and bowed politely. "I am to report of our two findings today. The first one is, one of the forbidden book of the vampires have been stolen. The second matter is that Hanadagi-sama would be reintroduced again to the society tonight".

"These subjects are not related to the problem at all", the human representatives mocked.

"I do believe there is a slight link in these events but I have yet to look deeper into them. My base is the timing of Hanadagi-sama's awakening seemed to be a little off but that is all I could come out with".

"Useless report", muttered the human representatives, "The hunter's association must have something worth of noting, no?" The human representative turned towards the guardian angel that had guarded them from being the livestock of vampire with respect.

"Indeed, we do have a lead on the Snow Queen. It seems that the curse could only be casted on a victim that was very close to the one that casted. The caster must belong to the Kiryuu bloodline and thus, the only one that should be capable of using it would be the only surviving Kiryuu".

"Wouldn't the solution be as easy as eliminating him?" proposed the human representative.

"Kiryuu-kun will be left untouched. No harm shall be inflicted on him", Kaname reminded the conclusion of the last meeting. "In fact, the belief Zero as the only remaining Kiryuu holds no ground to it. Recently, it is discovered that there was another Kiryuu freely moving around out there".

"But that cannot be possible! After the massacre, no one else survived except for the twins and the younger brother has passed away", said the hunter's representatives.

"He is very much alive", Kaname clasped his hands together. "I have obtained the information from a very reliable source".

"That is impossible", cried the wizardry representatives, "the dead is never allowed to come back".

"This information, where did you obtain it, Kaname-sama?" asked the vampire representatives.

"I obtained it from Kiryuu-kun's own memory of the most recent events. Needless to say, I could assure you that he is never the culprit. There is also the miniscule possibility of him being the one targeted".

Silence overshadowed the room and when finally someone made a noise, it was the sound of gargled uncertainty. Kaname knew what came next as he scanned the room.

There was only disbelief etching on everyone's face but from the moment he exposed the fact, he had never expected anyone to believe him. The pureblood prince rose from his chair. "I don't think this prophecy can be stopped and I don't believe that it can be settled this way, with interference from all of you".

"Kaname-sama…" he heard his name left the lips of the representatives. The conclusion of the meeting was obvious, that there was only a being capable of handling it."This matter, I believe I am the only one capable of solving it".

_…. Because I believe that this matter have no professional merit in it. _But he himself was doubting the very same conclusive declaration.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC...<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary: **(So far) Kaito was taken to Hanadagi's castle where the Hanadagi were holding an introductory ceremony. Asato Ichijou was also invited to the ceremony. Meanwhile, on the Kuran's side, Kaname had found the fact that Ichiru was still alive from Zero and along the way, he managed to put Zero in a daze state. Yuuki had asked Kaname to protect Zero after her encounter with Ichiru.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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><p>Chapter 13: Blurry lines<p>

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><p>If the gust of wind was any indication to the news that were about to reach them, then when the actual words were spoken, the coldness of the wind settled in the room where three beings had gathered; a vampire hunter, the headmaster and the Pureblood Prince. Coming from Kaname himself was the news regarding the young hunter – about the spell he was put under and together with the news was the revelation of Ichiru's existence. Kaname's reason was not unfound; the fact had to be given or there would only be further complication. He had learnt previously that Kaien and Yagari had conjugated opinion when it came to Zero. He could twist the situation however much he wanted but in the end, he would need to explain and before unexpected occurrence happened, it was better to settle things when the storm was calm.<p>

"I don't understand what you are saying", Yagari, his mind was still taking in the information, said earnestly.

"Ichiru Kiryuu is still alive and Zero is subdued to a spell called Snow Queen and we have discussed this in separate meetings before", said Kaname, trying to explain again clearly.

"No, no, the content is confusing me not the words. Ichiru is alive, you say? And that brat is cursed by his younger brother using their most potent spell? Where did you learn how to cook such aggravated story?"

In the end, it was probably easier if he had just shown them the proof. Kaname brought himself to a standing position, walking towards the door. "It is better if you see it for yourself", said Kaname. The headmaster who had been thoughtful all the time they were there, silently yielded to Kaname's bidding. They moved to where Zero was and Yagari was forced to only believe of Zero's condition when he saw the state of the younger hunter.

"Kiryuu-kun has been in this condition since two days ago", said Kaname.

"Who turned him into this state?" Yagari grind his teeth.

"It is hard to tell the beginning and the end of how it happened, Yagari-san".

"Could it be that this is your doing, oh-great Pureblood Prince?" Yagari made a snide remark with anger seeping from his body.

"Touga, control your temper! I am sorry for his insolence, Kaname-sama but I must agree with Touga. You don't have to hide anything from us", Kaien interrupted. Kaname found a comfortable distance and once he did, he nodded quietly.

"I might have catalyzed Kiryuu's current condition but I am not the one responsible for the spell he is under".

"We understand", Kaien said, taking a few steps forward to the bed. The whole time they were conversing, Zero had blatantly ignored their presences. No comebacks or annoyed expressions, just a piece of a blank paper. This wasn't _the_ Zero Kiryuu they had known.

"How did you find out about Ichiru?" Yagari asked, directing a suspicious glare at Kaname.

"My method needs not concern anyone", said Kaname, "but, I would try to find a cure for Kiryuu-kun. I have been asked to protect him by Yuuki. I have no intention to go against her wish". Though it was a part of the truth, Kaname felt like he was lying to himself. Had it really matter if Yuuki had asked or not? Or was he trying to justify his reason with Yuuki's request?

"How could we trust your words?" was Yagari's comeback.

"Touga!" Kaien grabbed the hunter's shoulder harshly, "please bear in mind of Kaname-sama's position".

"It is fine, Kaien-san. Yagari-san is just worried. I can understand at least that".

"You are very gracious. I have to apologize of Yagari's rudeness. Regardless, now that this has come to our attention, we shall as well take responsibility but Kaname-sama, if you can be a little more truthful of your methods of receiving the information regarding Ichiru Kiryuu, it will help with our future investigation".

Kaname laid his gaze from the corner of his eyes on Yagari. Anymore direct confession and the hunter were ready to explode in anger. Saying any more than this would instead be counterproductive. Explaining by a letter would be much more convenient for both sides.

"I shall write to you and explain everything in a letter. Try to understand that in my view, I have to take the most appropriate stance. As you can see, the spell has expensive consequence attached to it", said Kaname calmly.

"Then, we will be waiting for your letter, Kaname-sama".

"Kiryuu-kun will be under my care for now. I will not allow even a single hair be touched by harm".

Kaien bowed while Yagari continued to send death glares. "Thank you, Kaname-sama". The headmaster and the hunter left the room, though Yagari reluctantly. Kaname breathed in slowly, sitting next to Zero after taking note of the untouched food that had been left on the side table. At this rate, the hunter would fell ill. He was starting to look skinnier than he was before. The pureblood picked up the bowl of porridge and stirred the spoon, scooping out some and brought it over to Zero's lips.

"If you don't eat, you will fall very ill. Kiryuu-kun, you must not do this to yourself".

Zero's lips refused to part no matter how he tried to feed the hunter. Kaname's shoulders slumped when he noticed at how much of the porridge had stuck next to Zero's chin. He retrieved his handkerchief and wiped the porridge away. He smiled when Zero's face was clean again but it was not long enough to block the thought of a starving young hunter. He noticed dark rim around Zero's eyes and how pale his skin was. What could he possibly do to return the color again to Zero's face?

Kaname looked down at the porridge. It was his fault to begin with – his method was too forceful. He had not calculated the possibility of Zero falling deeper into a daze, one that he could not return him back to the earth they were standing on.

"For that, I am sorry", Kaname said. He brought the spoon to his lips, holding the content in his mouth. He ran his thumb on Zero's lower lips and locked their lips together. If there was no other method to give the food to Zero, then he'd gladly resolved to this embarrassing method of mouth to mouth feeding.

Unexpectedly, Zero's lips were soft and unexpectedly, he heard a noise from the other.

"Hngh!" Zero pushed the Kaname away. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Kaname couldn't believe it. What was this? Some cheap fairy tale story?

"I meant to give you the nutrition you need", Kaname tried to explain while keeping his profile calm.

"And why do I need to be fed by you, mouth to mouth?" Zero wiped the porridge that had found their place on his lower lips. His face was red to his ears – Kaname, for a second, thought Zero looked adorable.

"You were in a daze for a long time. I think I should explain about your condition". Why did he feel the need to explain himself?

"You think? You forced me to show my memory over a nonsensical reason, bastard!"

"Ah, I need to tell you about that too. I apologize for my inconsiderate action. However, you will need to eat and rest well first", Kaname put the bowl on Zero's laps and stood up. Hurriedly, he went into the corridor, leaving a speechless Zero in the room. There were only the sight of the hallway and the sound of his own footsteps but there was another noise that could only be heard by him.

With each footstep, his heart thumped loud and clear. Never once had he doubted himself and his conviction but now, he could only face the blurry road ahead.

"What happened back there?" he asked himself in utter confusion.


End file.
